diff --git a/share/functions/alias.fish b/share/functions/alias.fish
index 4b72ecd2f..b6597ee26 100644
--- a/share/functions/alias.fish
+++ b/share/functions/alias.fish
@@ -35,11 +35,18 @@ function alias --description "Legacy function for creating shellscript functions
 			return 1
 	end
 
-	switch (type -t $name)
-		case file
-			set prefix command
-		case builtin
-			set prefix builtin
+
+	# If we are shadowing an existing (internal or external) command, set the
+	# correct prefix. If $name is different from the command in $body, we assume
+	# the user knows what he/she is doing.
+
+	switch $body
+		case $name $name\ \* $name\t\*
+			if contains $name (builtin --names)
+				set prefix builtin
+			else if which $name >/dev/null
+				set prefix command
+			end
 	end
 
 	eval "function $name; $prefix $body \$argv; end"
diff --git a/share/functions/type.fish b/share/functions/type.fish
index 94c77efa7..6eb1a66f4 100644
--- a/share/functions/type.fish
+++ b/share/functions/type.fish
@@ -85,10 +85,10 @@ function type --description "Print the type of a command"
 						functions $i
 
 					case type
-						printf (_ 'function\n')
+						echo (_ 'function')
 
 					case path
-						 echo
+						echo
 
 				end
 				if test $selection != multi
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ function type --description "Print the type of a command"
 						printf (_ '%s is a builtin\n') $i
 
 					case type
-						printf (_ 'builtin\n')
+						echo (_ 'builtin')
 
 					case path
 						echo
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ function type --description "Print the type of a command"
 					printf (_ '%s is %s\n') $i $path
 
 					case type
-						printf (_ 'file\n')
+						echo (_ 'file')
 
 					case path
 						echo $path