diff --git a/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/CompoundWordTokenFilterBase.java b/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/CompoundWordTokenFilterBase.java
index 3b3fae9ca76..909ef5ef1a2 100644
--- a/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/CompoundWordTokenFilterBase.java
+++ b/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/CompoundWordTokenFilterBase.java
@@ -82,8 +82,17 @@ public abstract class CompoundWordTokenFilterBase extends TokenFilter {
     super(input);
     
     this.tokens=new LinkedList<CompoundToken>();
+    if (minWordSize < 0) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("minWordSize cannot be negative");
+    }
     this.minWordSize=minWordSize;
+    if (minSubwordSize < 0) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("minSubwordSize cannot be negative");
+    }
     this.minSubwordSize=minSubwordSize;
+    if (maxSubwordSize < 0) {
+      throw new IllegalArgumentException("maxSubwordSize cannot be negative");
+    }
     this.maxSubwordSize=maxSubwordSize;
     this.onlyLongestMatch=onlyLongestMatch;
     this.dictionary = dictionary;
diff --git a/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/HyphenationCompoundWordTokenFilter.java b/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/HyphenationCompoundWordTokenFilter.java
index 935c607c3de..a71352db1f7 100644
--- a/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/HyphenationCompoundWordTokenFilter.java
+++ b/modules/analysis/common/src/java/org/apache/lucene/analysis/compound/HyphenationCompoundWordTokenFilter.java
@@ -191,6 +191,8 @@ public class HyphenationCompoundWordTokenFilter extends
         // we only put subwords to the token stream
         // that are longer than minPartSize
         if (partLength < this.minSubwordSize) {
+          // nocommit/BOGUS/BROKEN/FUNKY/WACKO: somehow we have negative 'parts' according to the 
+          // calculation above, and we rely upon minSubwordSize being >=0 to filter them out...
           continue;
         }