diff --git a/bin/sh/mksyntax.c b/bin/sh/mksyntax.c
index e63f0d68248..e4c4d14dc17 100644
--- a/bin/sh/mksyntax.c
+++ b/bin/sh/mksyntax.c
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ struct synclass synclass[] = {
 	{ "CEOF",	"end of file" },
 	{ "CCTL",	"like CWORD, except it must be escaped" },
 	{ "CSPCL",	"these terminate a word" },
+	{ "CIGN",       "character should be ignored" },
 	{ NULL,		NULL }
 };
 
@@ -232,7 +233,7 @@ main(int argc __unused, char **argv __unused)
 	add("\n", "CNL");
 	add("\\", "CBACK");
 	add("`", "CBQUOTE");
-	add("\"", "CDQUOTE");
+	add("\"", "CIGN");
 	add("$", "CVAR");
 	add("}", "CENDVAR");
 	add("(", "CLP");
diff --git a/bin/sh/parser.c b/bin/sh/parser.c
index 4c1b2726f78..9500d914559 100644
--- a/bin/sh/parser.c
+++ b/bin/sh/parser.c
@@ -1224,10 +1224,7 @@ readtoken1(int firstc, char const *initialsyntax, char *eofmark, int striptabs)
 				if (eofmark != NULL && newvarnest == 0)
 					USTPUTC(c, out);
 				else {
-					if (state[level].category == TSTATE_ARITH)
-						state[level].syntax = ARISYNTAX;
-					else
-						state[level].syntax = BASESYNTAX;
+					state[level].syntax = BASESYNTAX;
 					quotef++;
 				}
 				break;
@@ -1282,6 +1279,8 @@ readtoken1(int firstc, char const *initialsyntax, char *eofmark, int striptabs)
 				break;
 			case CEOF:
 				goto endword;		/* exit outer loop */
+			case CIGN:
+				break;
 			default:
 				if (level == 0)
 					goto endword;	/* exit outer loop */