diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurfmt.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurfmt.cpp
index 7ea83882875..46459e31d3c 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurfmt.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurfmt.cpp
@@ -155,8 +155,7 @@ PluralFormat::applyPattern(const UnicodeString& newPattern, UErrorCode& status)
                         status = U_PATTERN_SYNTAX_ERROR;
                         return;
                     }
-                    if (!pluralRules->isKeyword(token) && 
-                        pluralRules->getKeywordOther()!=token) {
+                    if (!pluralRules->isKeyword(token)) {
                         status = U_UNDEFINED_KEYWORD;
                         return;
                     }
@@ -353,11 +352,23 @@ PluralFormat::clone() const
     return new PluralFormat(*this);
 }
 
-/*
-Format*
-PluralFormat::clone() const {
+PluralFormat&
+PluralFormat::operator=(const PluralFormat& other) {
+    if (this != &other) {
+        UErrorCode status = U_ZERO_ERROR;
+        delete pluralRules;   
+        delete fParsedValuesHash;
+        delete numberFormat;
+        locale = other.locale;
+        pluralRules = other.pluralRules->clone();
+        pattern = other.pattern;
+        copyHashtable(other.fParsedValuesHash, status);
+        numberFormat=NumberFormat::createInstance(locale, status);
+        replacedNumberFormat=other.replacedNumberFormat;
+    }
+
+    return *this;
 }
-*/
 
 UBool
 PluralFormat::operator==(const Format& other) const {
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule.cpp
index e36665a5ae8..bf4f0df52e2 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule.cpp
@@ -163,7 +163,12 @@ PluralRules::operator=(const PluralRules& other) {
     if (this != &other) {
         fLocaleStringsHash=other.fLocaleStringsHash;
         delete mRules;
-        mRules = new RuleChain(*other.mRules);
+        if (other.mRules==NULL) {
+            mRules = NULL;
+        }
+        else {
+            mRules = new RuleChain(*other.mRules);
+        }
         delete mParser;
         mParser = new RuleParser();
     }
@@ -213,11 +218,12 @@ PluralRules::forLocale(const Locale& locale, UErrorCode& status) {
     }
     if (locRules == NULL) {
         // Check parent locales.
-        char parentLocale[ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY];
+        char parentLocaleName[ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY];
         const char *curLocaleName=locale.getName();
         int32_t localeNameLen=0;
-        uprv_strcpy(parentLocale, curLocaleName);
-        while ((localeNameLen=uloc_getParent(parentLocale, parentLocale, ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY, &status)) > 0) {
+        while ((localeNameLen=uloc_getParent(curLocaleName, parentLocaleName, 
+                                       ULOC_FULLNAME_CAPACITY, &status)) > 0) {
+            localeName = UnicodeString(parentLocaleName, -1, US_INV);
             Mutex lock;
             locRules = (RuleChain *) (newRules->fLocaleStringsHash->get(localeName));
             if (locRules != NULL) {
@@ -247,18 +253,23 @@ PluralRules::select(int32_t number) const {
 StringEnumeration*
 PluralRules::getKeywords(UErrorCode& status) const {
     if (U_FAILURE(status))  return NULL;
-    StringEnumeration* nameEnumerator = new PluralKeywordEnumeration(status);
+    StringEnumeration* nameEnumerator = new PluralKeywordEnumeration(mRules, status);
     return nameEnumerator;
 }
 
 
 UBool
 PluralRules::isKeyword(const UnicodeString& keyword) const {
-    if ( mRules == NULL) {
-        return (UBool)( keyword == PLURAL_DEFAULT_RULE );
+    if ( keyword == PLURAL_KEYWORD_OTHER ) {
+        return true;
     }
     else {
-        return mRules->isKeyword(keyword);
+        if (mRules==NULL) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        else {
+            return mRules->isKeyword(keyword);
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -463,7 +474,12 @@ PluralRules::getNextLocale(const UnicodeString& localeData, int32_t* curIndex, U
 
 int32_t
 PluralRules::getRepeatLimit() const {
-    return mRules->getRepeatLimit();
+    if (mRules!=NULL) {
+        return mRules->getRepeatLimit();
+    }
+    else {
+        return 0;
+    }
 }
 
 void
@@ -675,7 +691,6 @@ RuleChain::RuleChain() {
 }
 
 RuleChain::RuleChain(const RuleChain& other) {
-    
     this->repeatLimit = other.repeatLimit;
     this->keyword=other.keyword;
     if (other.ruleHeader != NULL) {
@@ -1108,10 +1123,25 @@ RuleParser::isValidKeyword(const UnicodeString& token) {
     }
 }
 
-PluralKeywordEnumeration::PluralKeywordEnumeration(UErrorCode& status) :
+PluralKeywordEnumeration::PluralKeywordEnumeration(RuleChain *header, UErrorCode& status) :
 fKeywordNames(status)
 {
+    RuleChain *node=header;
+    UBool  addKeywordOther=true;
+    
     pos=0;
+    fKeywordNames.removeAllElements();
+    while(node!=NULL) {
+        fKeywordNames.addElement(new UnicodeString(node->keyword), status);
+        if (node->keyword == PLURAL_KEYWORD_OTHER) {
+            addKeywordOther= false;
+        }
+        node=node->next;
+    }
+    
+    if (addKeywordOther) {
+        fKeywordNames.addElement(new UnicodeString(PLURAL_KEYWORD_OTHER), status);
+    }
 }
 
 const UnicodeString*
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule_impl.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule_impl.h
index ca79b482595..59d842cbb2c 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule_impl.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/plurrule_impl.h
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ private:
 
 class PluralKeywordEnumeration : public StringEnumeration {
 public:
-    PluralKeywordEnumeration(UErrorCode& status);
+    PluralKeywordEnumeration(RuleChain *header, UErrorCode& status);
     virtual ~PluralKeywordEnumeration();
     static UClassID U_EXPORT2 getStaticClassID(void);
     virtual UClassID getDynamicClassID(void) const;
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurfmts.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurfmts.cpp
index ce658b36cda..9acac7c6ff1 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurfmts.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurfmts.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /********************************************************************
  * COPYRIGHT: 
- * Copyright (c) 2007-2007, International Business Machines Corporation and
+ * Copyright (c) 2007-2008, International Business Machines Corporation and
  * others. All Rights Reserved.
  ********************************************************************/
 
@@ -85,6 +85,25 @@ void PluralFormatTest::pluralFormatBasicTest(/*char *par*/)
         }
        delete plFmt[i];
     }
+    // ======= Test clone, assignment operator && == operator.
+    plFmt[0]= new PluralFormat(status[0]);
+    plFmt[1]= new PluralFormat(locale, status[1]);
+    *plFmt[1] = *plFmt[0];
+    if (plFmt[1]!=NULL) {
+        if ( *plFmt[1] != *plFmt[0] ) {
+            errln("ERROR:  clone plural format test failed!");
+        }
+    }
+    plFmt[2]= new PluralFormat(locale, status[1]);
+    *plFmt[1] = *plFmt[2];
+    if (plFmt[1]!=NULL) {
+        if ( *plFmt[1] != *plFmt[2] ) {
+            errln("ERROR:  assignment operator test failed!");
+        }
+        delete plFmt[1];
+    }
+    delete plFmt[0];
+    delete plFmt[2];
     delete numFmt;
     delete plRules;
 }
diff --git a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurults.cpp b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurults.cpp
index 2f4a030ce06..a634ad2116d 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurults.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/test/intltest/plurults.cpp
@@ -86,6 +86,22 @@ void PluralRulesTest::testAPI(/*char *par*/)
         delete test;
         return;
     }
+    
+    // ======= Test clone, assignment operator && == operator.
+    PluralRules *dupRule = defRule.clone();
+    if (dupRule!=NULL) {
+        if ( *dupRule != defRule ) {
+            errln("ERROR:  clone plural rules test failed!");
+        }
+    }
+    *dupRule = *newEnPlural;
+    if (dupRule!=NULL) {
+        if ( *dupRule != *newEnPlural ) {
+            errln("ERROR:  clone plural rules test failed!");
+        }
+        delete dupRule;
+    }
+
     delete newEnPlural;
 
     // ======= Test empty plural rules