diff --git a/builtin_printf.cpp b/builtin_printf.cpp
index b633edd16..e5f0e4ae1 100644
--- a/builtin_printf.cpp
+++ b/builtin_printf.cpp
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ C_STRTOD (wchar_t const *nptr, wchar_t **endptr)
 
   if (!saved_locale.empty())
     {
-      setlocale (LC_NUMERIC, "C");
+      wsetlocale (LC_NUMERIC, L"C");
     }
 
   r = STRTOD (nptr, endptr);
@@ -322,21 +322,24 @@ static void print_direc (const wchar_t *start, size_t length, wchar_t conversion
 	length_modifier = L"L";
 	length_modifier_len = 1;
 	break;
-
+      case L's':
+	length_modifier = L"l";
+	length_modifier_len = 1;
+	break;
       default:
 	length_modifier = start;  /* Any valid pointer will do.  */
 	length_modifier_len = 0;
 	break;
       }
 
-    p = static_cast<wchar_t*>(malloc (length + length_modifier_len + 2));
-    q = static_cast<wchar_t*>(mempcpy (p, start, length));
-    q = static_cast<wchar_t*>(mempcpy (q, length_modifier, length_modifier_len));
+    p = new wchar_t[length + length_modifier_len + 2];
+    q = static_cast<wchar_t*>(mempcpy (p, start, sizeof(wchar_t) * length));
+    q = static_cast<wchar_t*>(mempcpy (q, length_modifier, sizeof(wchar_t) * length_modifier_len));
     *q++ = conversion;
     *q = L'\0';
   }
-  
-  append_format(fmt, L"%%l%lc", conversion);
+
+  fmt = p;
   switch (conversion)
     {
     case L'd':
@@ -393,7 +396,6 @@ static void print_direc (const wchar_t *start, size_t length, wchar_t conversion
     case L'g':
     case L'G':
       {
-debug(0, "Field width %d, Precision %d", field_width, precision);
 
 	long double arg = vstrtold (argument);
 	if (!have_field_width)
@@ -421,8 +423,6 @@ debug(0, "Field width %d, Precision %d", field_width, precision);
       break;
 
     case L's':
-
-debug(0, "Field width %d, Precision %d", field_width, precision);
       if (!have_field_width)
 	{
 	  if (!have_precision){
@@ -529,16 +529,18 @@ debug(0, "Field width %d, Precision %d", field_width, precision);
 		   ++argv;
 		   --argc;
 		 }
-	       else
-		 field_width = 0;
+		 else{
+		  field_width = 0;
+		}
 	       have_field_width = true;
 	     }
-	   else
+	   else {
 	     while (iswdigit(*f))
 	       {
 		 ++f;
 		 ++direc_length;
 	       }
+		}
 	   if (*f == L'.')
 	     {
 	       ++f;