diff --git a/runtime/syntax/automake.vim b/runtime/syntax/automake.vim
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea09927
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/syntax/automake.vim
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+" Vim syntax file
+" Language:	automake Makefile.am
+" Maintainer:	John Williams <jrw@pobox.com>
+" Last change:	2001 May 09
+
+
+" This script adds support for automake's Makefile.am format. It highlights
+" Makefile variables significant to automake as well as highlighting
+" autoconf-style @variable@ substitutions . Subsitutions are marked as errors
+" when they are used in an inappropriate place, such as in defining
+" EXTRA_SOURCES.
+
+
+" Read the Makefile syntax to start with
+if version < 600
+  source <sfile>:p:h/make.vim
+else
+  runtime! syntax/make.vim
+endif
+
+syn match automakePrimary "^[A-Za-z0-9_]\+\(_PROGRAMS\|LIBRARIES\|_LIST\|_SCRIPTS\|_DATA\|_HEADERS\|_MANS\|_TEXINFOS\|_JAVA\|_LTLIBRARIES\)\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakePrimary "^TESTS\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeSecondary "^[A-Za-z0-9_]\+\(_SOURCES\|_LDADD\|_LIBADD\|_LDFLAGS\|_DEPENDENCIES\)\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeSecondary "^OMIT_DEPENDENCIES\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeExtra "^EXTRA_[A-Za-z0-9_]\+\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeOptions "^\(AUTOMAKE_OPTIONS\|ETAGS_ARGS\|TAGS_DEPENDENCIES\)\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeClean "^\(MOSTLY\|DIST\|MAINTAINER\)\=CLEANFILES\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeSubdirs "^\(DIST_\)\=SUBDIRS\s*="me=e-1
+syn match automakeConditional "^\(if\s*[a-zA-Z0-9_]\+\|else\|endif\)\s*$"
+
+syn match automakeSubst     "@[a-zA-Z0-9_]\+@"
+syn match automakeSubst     "^\s*@[a-zA-Z0-9_]\+@"
+syn match automakeComment1 "#.*$" contains=automakeSubst
+syn match automakeComment2 "##.*$"
+
+syn match automakeMakeError "$[{(][^})]*[^a-zA-Z0-9_})][^})]*[})]" " GNU make function call
+
+syn region automakeNoSubst start="^EXTRA_[a-zA-Z0-9_]*\s*=" end="$" contains=ALLBUT,automakeNoSubst transparent
+syn region automakeNoSubst start="^DIST_SUBDIRS\s*=" end="$" contains=ALLBUT,automakeNoSubst transparent
+syn region automakeNoSubst start="^[a-zA-Z0-9_]*_SOURCES\s*=" end="$" contains=ALLBUT,automakeNoSubst transparent
+syn match automakeBadSubst  "@\([a-zA-Z0-9_]*@\=\)\=" contained
+
+syn region  automakeMakeDString start=+"+  skip=+\\"+  end=+"+  contains=makeIdent,automakeSubstitution
+syn region  automakeMakeSString start=+'+  skip=+\\'+  end=+'+  contains=makeIdent,automakeSubstitution
+syn region  automakeMakeBString start=+`+  skip=+\\`+  end=+`+  contains=makeIdent,makeSString,makeDString,makeNextLine,automakeSubstitution
+
+" Define the default highlighting.
+" For version 5.7 and earlier: only when not done already
+" For version 5.8 and later: only when an item doesn't have highlighting yet
+if version >= 508 || !exists("did_automake_syntax_inits")
+  if version < 508
+    let did_automake_syntax_inits = 1
+    command -nargs=+ HiLink hi link <args>
+  else
+    command -nargs=+ HiLink hi def link <args>
+  endif
+
+  HiLink automakePrimary     Statement
+  HiLink automakeSecondary   Type
+  HiLink automakeExtra       Special
+  HiLink automakeOptions     Special
+  HiLink automakeClean       Special
+  HiLink automakeSubdirs     Statement
+  HiLink automakeConditional PreProc
+  HiLink automakeSubst       PreProc
+  HiLink automakeComment1    makeComment
+  HiLink automakeComment2    makeComment
+  HiLink automakeMakeError   makeError
+  HiLink automakeBadSubst    makeError
+  HiLink automakeMakeDString makeDString
+  HiLink automakeMakeSString makeSString
+  HiLink automakeMakeBString makeBString
+
+  delcommand HiLink
+endif
+
+let b:current_syntax = "automake"
+
+" vi: ts=8 sw=4 sts=4