diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/LanguageFactory.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/LanguageFactory.cs
index 7b24411498..c805ae7f5a 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/LanguageFactory.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Factories/LanguageFactory.cs
@@ -18,7 +18,14 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Persistence.Factories
         {
             var dto = new LanguageDto { CultureName = entity.CultureName, IsoCode = entity.IsoCode, IsDefaultVariantLanguage = entity.IsDefaultVariantLanguage, Mandatory = entity.Mandatory };
             if (entity.HasIdentity)
+            {
                 dto.Id = short.Parse(entity.Id.ToString(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture));
+            }
+
+            if (entity.FallbackLanguage != null)
+            {
+                dto.FallbackLanguageId = entity.FallbackLanguage.Id;
+            }
 
             return dto;
         }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Repositories/Implement/LanguageRepository.cs b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Repositories/Implement/LanguageRepository.cs
index 9566247f96..96bb088f2b 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Repositories/Implement/LanguageRepository.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Core/Persistence/Repositories/Implement/LanguageRepository.cs
@@ -144,14 +144,12 @@ namespace Umbraco.Core.Persistence.Repositories.Implement
                 IsolatedCache.ClearAllCache();
             }
 
-;
             var dto = LanguageFactory.BuildDto(entity);
 
             var id = Convert.ToInt32(Database.Insert(dto));
             entity.Id = id;
 
             entity.ResetDirtyProperties();
-
         }
 
         protected override void PersistUpdatedItem(ILanguage entity)
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.controller.js b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.controller.js
index 3a4961ca81..bc5c421b7b 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.controller.js
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.controller.js
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
                     }
                 };
 
-                if($routeParams.create) {
+                if ($routeParams.create) {
                     vm.page.name = vm.labels.addLanguage;
                     languageResource.getCultures().then(function (culturesDictionary) {
                         var cultures = [];
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@
                         vm.availableCultures = cultures;
                     });
                 }
-
             });
 
             vm.loading = true;
@@ -99,11 +98,26 @@
             });
         }
 
+        function setCultureForFallbackLanguage(lang) {
+            for (var i = 0; i < vm.availableLanguages.length; i++) {
+                if (vm.availableLanguages[i].id === lang.id) {
+                    lang.culture = vm.availableLanguages[i].culture;
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
         function save() {
 
             if (formHelper.submitForm({ scope: $scope })) {
                 vm.page.saveButtonState = "busy";
 
+                // We need to attach the ISO code to the fall-back language to pass
+                // server-side validation.
+                if (vm.language.fallbackLanguage) {
+                    setCultureForFallbackLanguage(vm.language.fallbackLanguage);
+                }
+
                 languageResource.save(vm.language).then(function (lang) {
 
                     formHelper.resetForm({ scope: $scope });
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.html b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.html
index 9ebbc5aede..5570b901e2 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.html
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/edit.html
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@
                             <div>
                                 <select name="fallbackLanguage"
                                         ng-model="vm.language.fallbackLanguage.id"
-                                        required
                                         ng-options="l.id as l.name for l in vm.availableLanguages">
                                     <option value="">{{vm.labels.noFallbackLanguageOption}}</option>
                                 </select>
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/overview.controller.js b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/overview.controller.js
index 2f116ef3cb..c8a728d3aa 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/overview.controller.js
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web.UI.Client/src/views/languages/overview.controller.js
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
                 vm.page.name = vm.labels.languages;
             });
 
-            languageResource.getAll().then(function(languages) {
+            languageResource.getAll().then(function (languages) {
                 vm.languages = languages;
                 vm.loading = false;
             });
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/LanguageController.cs b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/LanguageController.cs
index 96019da702..418c8401ff 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/LanguageController.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Web/Editors/LanguageController.cs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-using System;
-using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
 using System.Globalization;
 using System.Linq;
 using System.Net;
@@ -8,8 +7,6 @@ using System.Web.Http;
 using AutoMapper;
 using Umbraco.Core;
 using Umbraco.Core.Models;
-using Umbraco.Core.Persistence;
-using Umbraco.Web.Models;
 using Umbraco.Web.Mvc;
 using Umbraco.Web.WebApi;
 using Umbraco.Web.WebApi.Filters;
@@ -136,21 +133,38 @@ namespace Umbraco.Web.Editors
                 }
 
                 //create it
-                var newLang = new Umbraco.Core.Models.Language(culture.Name)
+                var newLang = new Core.Models.Language(culture.Name)
                 {
                     CultureName = culture.DisplayName,
                     IsDefaultVariantLanguage = language.IsDefaultVariantLanguage,
-                    Mandatory = language.Mandatory
+                    Mandatory = language.Mandatory,
                 };
+
+                AssociateFallbackLanguage(language, newLang);
                 Services.LocalizationService.Save(newLang);
                 return Mapper.Map<Language>(newLang);
             }
 
             found.Mandatory = language.Mandatory;
             found.IsDefaultVariantLanguage = language.IsDefaultVariantLanguage;
+            AssociateFallbackLanguage(language, found);
             Services.LocalizationService.Save(found);
             return Mapper.Map<Language>(found);
         }
-        
+
+        private static void AssociateFallbackLanguage(Language submittedLanguage, ILanguage languageToCreateOrUpdate)
+        {
+            if (submittedLanguage.FallbackLanguage == null)
+            {
+                return;
+            }
+
+            var fallbackLanguageCulture = CultureInfo.GetCultureInfo(submittedLanguage.FallbackLanguage.IsoCode);
+            languageToCreateOrUpdate.FallbackLanguage = new Core.Models.Language(fallbackLanguageCulture.Name)
+                {
+                    Id = submittedLanguage.FallbackLanguage.Id,
+                    CultureName = fallbackLanguageCulture.DisplayName
+                };
+        }
     }
 }