diff --git a/configure b/configure
index dd88edd25981f871dd6ad93265ff6baa9975b301..23d20bccd9f388c9dfde4405f080c0c2de155710 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -4310,7 +4310,11 @@ ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_cxx_compiler_gnu
 
 # log the initial flags
 LD="$CXX"
-LDSHARED="$CXX"
+
+if test -z "$LDSHARED" ; then
+  LDSHARED="$CXX"
+fi
+
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Initial CXX:         $CXX" >&5
 $as_echo "$as_me: Initial CXX:         $CXX" >&6;}
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: Initial CXXFLAGS:    $CXXFLAGS" >&5
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 819ea122b2e9af639378edfdaa9613403e9d240b..2e267686360f6c4b18d002cba08f66f828fa382b 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -299,7 +299,11 @@ AC_LANG(C++)
 
 # log the initial flags
 LD="$CXX"
-LDSHARED="$CXX"
+
+if test -z "$LDSHARED" ; then
+  LDSHARED="$CXX"
+fi
+
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([Initial CXX:         $CXX])
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([Initial CXXFLAGS:    $CXXFLAGS])
 AC_MSG_NOTICE([Initial CPPFLAGS:    $CPPFLAGS])