diff --git a/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk b/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
index 592f26de13b2a68cd5936069b553d8e9930ba01b..9c62bf6f7e0db3577a2461bb14ab2f6960ca211c 100644
--- a/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
+++ b/make/common/shared/Defs-control.gmk
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@ ABS_TEMP_DIR = $(ABS_OUTPUTDIR)/tmp
 
 dummy := $(shell $(MKDIR) -p $(TEMP_DIR))
 
+# The language version we want for this jdk build
+SOURCE_LANGUAGE_VERSION=5
 # The class version we want for this jdk build
 TARGET_CLASS_VERSION=5
 
diff --git a/make/common/shared/Defs-java.gmk b/make/common/shared/Defs-java.gmk
index 78f87294fbed936254ae63da45e61048554a01fc..16db68b111303f5694e6709744dd5c2b355e8185 100644
--- a/make/common/shared/Defs-java.gmk
+++ b/make/common/shared/Defs-java.gmk
@@ -123,7 +123,8 @@ ifeq ($(JAVAC_WARNINGS_FATAL), true)
 endif
 
 # Add the source level (currently all source is 1.5, should this be 1.6?)
-LANGUAGE_VERSION = -source 1.5
+SOURCE_LANGUAGE_VERSION = 5
+LANGUAGE_VERSION = -source $(SOURCE_LANGUAGE_VERSION)
 JAVACFLAGS  += $(LANGUAGE_VERSION)
 
 # Add the class version we want (currently this is 5, should it be 6 or even 7?)
diff --git a/make/javax/swing/beaninfo/SwingBeans.gmk b/make/javax/swing/beaninfo/SwingBeans.gmk
index cae9873e0c39d0cdd6b71259979e4dbe87b0ba9c..20a716e0742dcf806a16ea2f6618c36ef432a0bb 100644
--- a/make/javax/swing/beaninfo/SwingBeans.gmk
+++ b/make/javax/swing/beaninfo/SwingBeans.gmk
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ PREFIX          = 1.2
 JAVADOCFLAGS    = $(NO_PROPRIETARY_API_WARNINGS) $(LANGUAGE_VERSION)
 SWINGPKG        = javax/swing
 LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS = $(OTHER_JAVACFLAGS)
+# since LOCAL_JAVADOC runs on ALT_BOOTDIR, the doclet and all its classes must be compiled to match
+DOCLET_JAVAC_FLAGS = -source 6 -target 6
 
 include FILES.gmk
 include $(BUILDDIR)/common/Release.gmk
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ $(OBJDIR) $(BEANCLASSDIR) $(BEANSRCDIR) $(DOCLETDST)::
 	@$(MKDIR) -p $@
 
 $(DOCLETDST)/%.class: $(DOCLETSRC)/%.java
-	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) -classpath "$(CLASSBINDIR)$(CLASSPATH_SEPARATOR)$(DOCLETSRC)" -d $(DOCLETDST) $?
+	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) $(DOCLET_JAVAC_FLAGS) -classpath "$(CLASSBINDIR)$(CLASSPATH_SEPARATOR)$(DOCLETSRC)" -d $(DOCLETDST) $?
 	@$(java-vm-cleanup)
 
 # To run, the doclet needs SwingBeanInfoBase class.  Also Notice the lie
@@ -95,11 +97,11 @@ $(DOCLETDST)/%.class: $(DOCLETSRC)/%.java
 .SwingBeanInfo: $(OBJDIR) $(BEANCLASSDIR) $(BEANSRCDIR) $(SWINGPKG)/BeanInfoUtils.class $(SWINGPKG)/SwingBeanInfoBase.class 
 
 $(SWINGPKG)/BeanInfoUtils.class: $(BEANSRCDIR)/BeanInfoUtils.java
-	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) -d $(BEANCLASSDIR) $<
+	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) $(DOCLET_JAVAC_FLAGS) -d $(BEANCLASSDIR) $<
 	@$(java-vm-cleanup)
 
 $(SWINGPKG)/SwingBeanInfoBase.class: $(BEANSRCDIR)/SwingBeanInfoBase.java $(BEANSRCDIR)/BeanInfoUtils.java
-	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) -classpath $(BEANCLASSDIR) -d $(BEANCLASSDIR) $<
+	$(JAVAC_CMD) $(LOCAL_JAVAC_FLAGS) $(DOCLET_JAVAC_FLAGS) -classpath $(BEANCLASSDIR) -d $(BEANCLASSDIR) $<
 	@$(java-vm-cleanup)
 
 #