diff --git a/basis/alien/fortran/fortran.factor b/basis/alien/fortran/fortran.factor
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d83df9bd45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/basis/alien/fortran/fortran.factor
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+USING: accessors alien alien.c-types alien.syntax arrays ascii
+assocs combinators fry kernel macros math.parser sequences splitting ;
+IN: alien.fortran
+
+! XXX this currently only supports the gfortran/f2c abi.
+! XXX we should also support ifort at some point for commercial BLASes
+
+C-STRUCT: (fortran-complex)
+    { "float" "r" }
+    { "float" "i" } ;
+C-STRUCT: (fortran-double-complex)
+    { "double" "r" }
+    { "double" "i" } ;
+
+: fortran-c-abi ( -- abi ) "cdecl" ;
+
+: fortran-name>symbol-name ( fortran-name -- c-name )
+    >lower CHAR: _ over member? 
+    [ "__" append ] [ "_" append ] if ;
+
+ERROR: invalid-fortran-type type ;
+
+<PRIVATE
+
+TUPLE: fortran-type dims size ;
+
+TUPLE: number-type < fortran-type ;
+TUPLE: integer-type < number-type ;
+TUPLE: logical-type < integer-type ;
+TUPLE: real-type < number-type ;
+TUPLE: double-precision-type < number-type ;
+
+TUPLE: character-type < fortran-type ;
+TUPLE: misc-type < fortran-type name ;
+
+TUPLE: complex-type < number-type ;
+TUPLE: real-complex-type < complex-type ;
+TUPLE: double-complex-type < complex-type ;
+
+CONSTANT: fortran>c-types H{
+    { "character"        character-type        }
+    { "integer"          integer-type          }
+    { "logical"          logical-type          }
+    { "real"             real-type             }
+    { "double precision" double-precision-type }
+    { "complex"          real-complex-type     }
+    { "double complex"   double-complex-type   }
+}
+
+: append-dimensions ( base-c-type type -- c-type )
+    dims>>
+    [ product number>string "[" "]" surround append ] when* ;
+
+MACRO: size-case-type ( cases -- )
+    [ invalid-fortran-type ] suffix
+    '[ [ size>> _ case ] [ append-dimensions ] bi ] ;
+
+: simple-type ( type base-c-type -- c-type )
+    swap
+    [ dup size>> [ invalid-fortran-type ] [ drop ] if ]
+    [ append-dimensions ] bi ;
+
+: new-fortran-type ( dims size class -- type )
+    new [ (>>size) ] [ (>>dims) ] [ ] tri ;
+
+GENERIC: (fortran-type>c-type) ( type -- c-type )
+
+M: integer-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    {
+        { f [ "int"      ] }
+        { 2 [ "short"    ] }
+        { 4 [ "int"      ] }
+        { 8 [ "longlong" ] }
+    } size-case-type ;
+M: real-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    {
+        { f [ "float"  ] }
+        { 4 [ "float"  ] }
+        { 8 [ "double" ] }
+    } size-case-type ;
+M: complex-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    {
+        {  f [ "(fortran-complex)"        ] }
+        {  8 [ "(fortran-complex)"        ] }
+        { 16 [ "(fortran-double-complex)" ] }
+    } size-case-type ;
+
+M: double-precision-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    "double" simple-type ;
+M: double-complex-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    "(fortran-double-complex)" simple-type ;
+M: misc-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    dup name>> simple-type ;
+
+: fix-character-type ( character-type -- character-type' )
+    clone dup size>>
+    [ dup dims>> [ invalid-fortran-type ] [ dup size>> 1array >>dims f >>size ] if ]
+    [ dup dims>> [ ] [ { 1 } >>dims ] if ] if ;
+
+M: character-type (fortran-type>c-type)
+    fix-character-type "char" simple-type ;
+
+: dimension>number ( string -- number )
+    dup "*" = [ drop 0 ] [ string>number ] if ;
+
+: parse-dims ( string -- string' dim )
+    "(" split1 dup
+    [ ")" ?tail drop "," split [ [ blank? ] trim dimension>number ] map ] when ;
+
+: parse-size ( string -- string' size )
+    "*" split1 dup [ string>number ] when ;
+
+: parse-fortran-type ( fortran-type-string -- type )
+    parse-dims swap parse-size swap
+    dup >lower fortran>c-types at*
+    [ nip new-fortran-type ] [ drop misc-type boa ] if ;
+
+: c-type>pointer ( c-type -- c-type* )
+    "[" split1 drop "*" append ;
+
+GENERIC: added-c-args ( type -- args )
+
+M: fortran-type added-c-args drop { } ;
+M: character-type added-c-args drop { "long" } ;
+
+PRIVATE>
+
+: fortran-type>c-type ( fortran-type -- c-type )
+    parse-fortran-type (fortran-type>c-type) ;
+
+: fortran-arg-type>c-type ( fortran-type -- c-type added-args ) { } ;
+: fortran-ret-type>c-type ( fortran-type -- c-type added-args ) { } ;
+
+: fortran-sig>c-sig ( fortran-return fortran-args -- c-return c-args ) ;
+
+! : F-RECORD: ... ; parsing
+! : F-ABI: ... ; parsing
+! : F-SUBROUTINE: ... ; parsing
+! : F-FUNCTION: ... ; parsing
+