OIFS="$IFS" IFS=":$IFS" eval foo="a:b:c" IFS="$OIFS" echo $foo OIFS=$IFS IFS=":$IFS" foo=$(echo a:b:c) IFS=$OIFS for i in $foo do echo $i done OIFS=$IFS IFS=":$IFS" foo=`echo a:b:c` IFS=$OIFS for i in $foo do echo $i done DEFIFS=$' \t\n' # local copy of IFS that shadows global version function f { typeset IFS=: echo $1 } function ff { echo $1 } f a:b:c:d:e x=a:b:c:d:e echo $x IFS=: ff a:b:c:d:e echo $x # doesn't get word split IFS=$DEFIFS # variable assignment doesn't use new value for word splitting IFS=: echo $x # but does this time because of the eval IFS=: eval echo \$x # in posix mode, assignments preceding special builtins and functions are global set -o posix IFS=: export x echo $x IFS="$DEFIFS"