diff --git a/gdb/NEWS b/gdb/NEWS
index 85059c6..2369752 100644
--- a/gdb/NEWS
+++ b/gdb/NEWS
@@ -23,6 +23,25 @@
      feature requires proper debuginfo support from the compiler; it
      was added to GCC 4.5.
 
+* Objective-C changes:
+
+  ** GDB Objective-C language support has changed so that lookups of
+     Objective-c methods is now done if any of the following conditions is true:
+
+       * GDB has identified Objective-C code as having been loaded.
+
+       * The user has specified an Objective-c method explicitly in the form of
+         `break +[Class aMethod]' or `break -[Class aMethod]' as opposed to
+         the short form `break aMethod'.
+
+       * The user has called 'set language objective-c' at least once;
+         though it need not be the current language.
+
+     For GDB to identify an Objective-C library debug symbols must be present.
+     Users wanting to retain the old behaviour can add
+     `set language objective-c` followed by `set language auto' lines
+     to their .gdbinit file.
+
 * GDB now has some support for using labels in the program's source in
   linespecs.  For instance, you can use "advance label" to continue
   execution to a label.
diff --git a/gdb/buildsym.c b/gdb/buildsym.c
index 4a76e3e..0c9186d 100644
--- a/gdb/buildsym.c
+++ b/gdb/buildsym.c
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 #include "cp-support.h"
 #include "dictionary.h"
 #include "addrmap.h"
+#include "language.h"
 
 /* Ask buildsym.h to define the vars it normally declares `extern'.  */
 #define	EXTERN
@@ -621,6 +622,9 @@ start_subfile (const char *name, const char *dirname)
     {
       subfile->language = subfile->next->language;
     }
+
+  set_language_has_cu_loaded(subfile->language);
+
 }
 
 /* For stabs readers, the first N_SO symbol is assumed to be the
diff --git a/gdb/dbxread.c b/gdb/dbxread.c
index af94659..57e9b29 100644
--- a/gdb/dbxread.c
+++ b/gdb/dbxread.c
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
 #include "cp-abi.h"
 #include "cp-support.h"
 #include "psympriv.h"
+#include "language.h"
 
 #include "gdb_assert.h"
 #include "gdb_string.h"
@@ -1564,6 +1565,7 @@ read_dbx_symtab (struct objfile *objfile)
 
 	    namestring = set_namestring (objfile, &nlist);
 	    tmp_language = deduce_language_from_filename (namestring);
+	    set_language_has_cu_loaded (tmp_language);
 
 	    /* Only change the psymtab's language if we've learned
 	       something useful (eg. tmp_language is not language_unknown).
diff --git a/gdb/defs.h b/gdb/defs.h
index 9e4800c..304d1c9 100644
--- a/gdb/defs.h
+++ b/gdb/defs.h
@@ -185,7 +185,9 @@ extern void quit (void);
 /* Languages represented in the symbol table and elsewhere.
    This should probably be in language.h, but since enum's can't
    be forward declared to satisfy opaque references before their
-   actual definition, needs to be here. */
+   actual definition, needs to be here.
+
+   When adding a tangible language also update language.c:mask_for_language */
 
 enum language
   {
diff --git a/gdb/dwarf2read.c b/gdb/dwarf2read.c
index bf36e01..e0d4d52 100644
--- a/gdb/dwarf2read.c
+++ b/gdb/dwarf2read.c
@@ -9646,6 +9646,7 @@ set_cu_language (unsigned int lang, struct dwarf2_cu *cu)
       break;
     }
   cu->language_defn = language_def (cu->language);
+  set_language_has_cu_loaded (cu->language);
 }
 
 /* Return the named attribute or NULL if not there.  */
diff --git a/gdb/language.c b/gdb/language.c
index 3ce08b5..cdc69c9 100644
--- a/gdb/language.c
+++ b/gdb/language.c
@@ -435,6 +435,7 @@ set_language (enum language lang)
       if (languages[i]->la_language == lang)
 	{
 	  current_language = languages[i];
+	  set_language_has_cu_loaded(current_language->la_language);
 	  set_type_range_case ();
 	  break;
 	}
@@ -1060,6 +1061,82 @@ default_get_string (struct value *value, gdb_byte **buffer, int *length,
   error (_("Getting a string is unsupported in this language."));
 }
 
+
+/* A mask for languages that want to enable specific behaviours if (not when)
+   a compilation unit of that language has been loaded. */
+#define CU_LOADED_C_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 0
+#define CU_LOADED_CPLUS_LANG_MASK	0x1 << 1
+#define CU_LOADED_D_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 2
+#define CU_LOADED_OBJC_LANG_MASK	0x1 << 3
+#define CU_LOADED_JAVA_LANG_MASK	0x1 << 4
+#define CU_LOADED_FORTRAN_LANG_MASK	0x1 << 5
+#define CU_LOADED_M2_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 6
+#define CU_LOADED_ASM_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 7
+#define CU_LOADED_PASCAL_LANG_MASK	0x1 << 8
+#define CU_LOADED_ADA_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 9
+#define CU_LOADED_SCM_LANG_MASK		0x1 << 10
+
+static unsigned int cu_languages_loaded_mask;
+
+static unsigned int
+mask_for_language(enum language lang)
+{
+  unsigned int lang_mask;
+  switch(lang)
+    {
+      case language_c:			/* C */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_C_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_cplus:		/* C++ */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_CPLUS_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_d:			/* D */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_D_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_objc:		/* Objective-C */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_OBJC_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_java:		/* Java */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_JAVA_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_fortran:		/* Fortran */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_FORTRAN_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_m2:			/* Modula-2 */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_M2_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_asm:		/* Assembly language */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_ASM_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_pascal:		/* Pascal */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_PASCAL_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_ada:		/* Ada */
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_ADA_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      case language_scm:		/* Guile Scheme*/
+        lang_mask = CU_LOADED_SCM_LANG_MASK;
+      break;
+      default:
+	return 0;
+    }
+  return lang_mask;
+}
+
+unsigned int
+language_has_cu_loaded (enum language lang)
+{
+  unsigned int lang_mask = mask_for_language (lang);
+  return cu_languages_loaded_mask & lang_mask;
+}
+
+void
+set_language_has_cu_loaded (enum language lang)
+{
+  unsigned int lang_mask = mask_for_language (lang);
+  cu_languages_loaded_mask |= lang_mask;
+}
+
 /* Define the language that is no language.  */
 
 static int
diff --git a/gdb/language.h b/gdb/language.h
index aa0523b..6fde401 100644
--- a/gdb/language.h
+++ b/gdb/language.h
@@ -523,4 +523,12 @@ void default_get_string (struct value *value, gdb_byte **buffer, int *length,
 void c_get_string (struct value *value, gdb_byte **buffer, int *length,
 		   struct type **char_type, const char **charset);
 
+/* Returns non-zero if cu of the language type has been previously loaded. */
+unsigned int
+language_has_cu_loaded (enum language lang);
+
+/* Sets that a cu of the language type has been previously loaded. */
+void
+set_language_has_cu_loaded (enum language lang);
+
 #endif /* defined (LANGUAGE_H) */
diff --git a/gdb/linespec.c b/gdb/linespec.c
index 91c5b90..b74c997 100644
--- a/gdb/linespec.c
+++ b/gdb/linespec.c
@@ -771,14 +771,15 @@ decode_line_1 (char **argptr, int funfirstline, struct symtab *default_symtab,
 
   /* Check if the symbol could be an Objective-C selector.  */
 
-  {
-    struct symtabs_and_lines values;
+  if (is_objc_method || language_has_cu_loaded(language_objc))
+    {
+      struct symtabs_and_lines values;
 
-    values = decode_objc (argptr, funfirstline, NULL,
+      values = decode_objc (argptr, funfirstline, NULL,
 			  canonical, saved_arg);
-    if (values.sals != NULL)
-      return values;
-  }
+      if (values.sals != NULL)
+        return values;
+    }
 
   /* Does it look like there actually were two parts?  */
 
diff --git a/gdb/mdebugread.c b/gdb/mdebugread.c
index 5ce5db2..3136940 100644
--- a/gdb/mdebugread.c
+++ b/gdb/mdebugread.c
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 #include "gdb_stat.h"
 #include "gdb_string.h"
 #include "psympriv.h"
+#include "language.h"
 
 #include "bfd.h"
 
@@ -2700,6 +2701,9 @@ parse_partial_symbols (struct objfile *objfile)
 	  psymtab_language = deduce_language_from_filename (fdr_name (fh));
 	  break;
 	}
+
+      set_language_has_cu_loaded (psymtab_language);
+
       if (psymtab_language == language_unknown)
 	psymtab_language = prev_language;
       PST_PRIVATE (pst)->pst_language = psymtab_language;
diff --git a/gdb/xcoffread.c b/gdb/xcoffread.c
index 902d48f..541ec22 100644
--- a/gdb/xcoffread.c
+++ b/gdb/xcoffread.c
@@ -1973,6 +1973,7 @@ xcoff_start_psymtab (struct objfile *objfile, char *filename, int first_symnum,
 
   /* Deduce the source language from the filename for this psymtab. */
   psymtab_language = deduce_language_from_filename (filename);
+  set_language_has_cu_loaded (psymtab_language);
 
   return result;
 }