diff --git a/gcc/ChangeLog b/gcc/ChangeLog
index 47f98fa95cc..c3a2d00dab7 100644
--- a/gcc/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+2009-04-25  Joseph Myers  <joseph@codesourcery.com>
+
+	PR c/39564
+	* c-decl.c (grokdeclarator): Diagnose declarations of functions
+	with variably modified return type and no storage class
+	specifiers, except for the case of nested functions.  Distinguish
+	extern declarations of functions with variably modified return
+	types from those of objects with variably modified types.
+
 2009-04-25  Jan Hubicka  <jh@suse.cz>
 
 	* tree.c (list_equal_p): New function.
diff --git a/gcc/c-decl.c b/gcc/c-decl.c
index d2dbfbeea81..9693a342a8f 100644
--- a/gcc/c-decl.c
+++ b/gcc/c-decl.c
@@ -5012,11 +5012,17 @@ grokdeclarator (const struct c_declarator *declarator,
 	  DECL_TLS_MODEL (decl) = decl_default_tls_model (decl);
       }
 
-    if (storage_class == csc_extern
+    if ((storage_class == csc_extern
+	 || (storage_class == csc_none
+	     && TREE_CODE (type) == FUNCTION_TYPE
+	     && !funcdef_flag))
 	&& variably_modified_type_p (type, NULL_TREE))
       {
 	/* C99 6.7.5.2p2 */
-	error ("object with variably modified type must have no linkage");
+	if (TREE_CODE (type) == FUNCTION_TYPE)
+	  error ("non-nested function with variably modified type");
+	else
+	  error ("object with variably modified type must have no linkage");
       }
 
     /* Record `register' declaration for warnings on &
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
index f2fdc93c4bd..c9cfd92fa3a 100644
--- a/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2009-04-25  Joseph Myers  <joseph@codesourcery.com>
+
+	PR c/39564
+	* gcc.dg/vla-19.c: New test.
+
 2009-04-25  Joseph Myers  <joseph@codesourcery.com>
 
 	PR preprocessor/39559
diff --git a/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/vla-19.c b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/vla-19.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..83093c9291a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gcc/testsuite/gcc.dg/vla-19.c
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+/* Test diagnostics for variably modified function return types.  PR
+   39564.  */
+/* { dg-do compile } */
+/* { dg-options "-std=c99" } */
+
+int a;
+
+void
+f1 (void)
+{
+  typedef int T[a];
+  extern T *g1 (void); /* { dg-error "non-nested function with variably modified type" } */
+}
+
+void
+f2 (void)
+{
+  extern int (*g2 (void))[a]; /* { dg-error "non-nested function with variably modified type" } */
+}
+
+void
+f3 (void)
+{
+  typedef int T[a];
+  T *g3 (void); /* { dg-error "non-nested function with variably modified type" } */
+}
+
+void
+f4 (void)
+{
+  int (*g4 (void))[a]; /* { dg-error "non-nested function with variably modified type" } */
+}