diff --git a/locale/string.ha b/locale/string.ha
index 587ffbe..e276abd 100644
--- a/locale/string.ha
+++ b/locale/string.ha
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@ export type string = [](locale, str);
 
 // Selects the most appropriate localized version of a [[string]] given a
 // [[locale]]. The matching algorithm used is the one specified by the
-// XDG Desktop Entry Specification, §5. Memory is borrowed from the input.
+// XDG Desktop Entry Specification, §5. If no suitable version is found, an
+// exact match with the C locale will be attempted. If there are none, void will
+// be returned. Memory is borrowed from the input.
 export fn string_resolve(strin: string, local: locale) (str | void) = {
 	// The matching is done as follows. If LC_MESSAGES is of the form
 	// lang_COUNTRY.ENCODING@MODIFIER, then it will match a key of the form
@@ -19,41 +21,47 @@ export fn string_resolve(strin: string, local: locale) (str | void) = {
 	// If LC_MESSAGES just has a lang field, then it will do a straight
 	// match to a key with a similar value.
 	
+	// lang_COUNTRY@MODIFIER
 	let lang_country_modifier = local;
 	lang_country_modifier.encoding = "";
 	match (string_resolve_exact(strin, lang_country_modifier)) {
-	case let index: size => return index;
+	case let result: str => return result;
 	case                 => void;
 	};
 	
+	// lang_COUNTRY
 	let lang_country = local;
 	lang_country.modifier = "";
 	match (string_resolve_exact(strin, lang_country)) {
-	case let index: size => return index;
+	case let result: str => return result;
 	case                 => void;
 	};
 	
+	// lang@MODIFIER
 	let lang_modifier = lang_country_modifier;
 	lang_modifier.country = "";
 	match (string_resolve_exact(strin, lang_modifier)) {
-	case let index: size => return index;
+	case let result: str => return result;
 	case                 => void;
 	};
 
+	// lang
 	let lang = lang_modifier;
 	lang.modifier = "";
 	match (string_resolve_exact(strin, lang)) {
-	case let index: size => return index;
+	case let result: str => return result;
+	case                 => void;
+	};
+
+	// fallback to c locale
+	match (string_resolve_exact(strin, c)) {
+	case let result: str => return result;
 	case                 => void;
 	};
 	
 	return void;
 };
 
-fn string_resolve_exact(strin: string, local: locale) (size | void) = {
-	let index = 0z;
-	for (let pair .. strn) {
-		if(equal(pair.1, local)) return index;
-		index += 1;
-	};
+fn string_resolve_exact(strin: string, local: locale) (str | void) = {
+	for (let pair .. strin) if(equal(pair.0, local)) return pair.1;
 };