http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=53494
--- Comment #19 from Jonathan Wakely <redi at gcc dot gnu.org> 2012-05-30 08:17:07 UTC --- (In reply to comment #13) > Am I interpreting correctly that double braces are /required/ for std::array > init lists but only when the subtype has has a multivariable initializer too? > > ..???? Yes. Double braces are always correct and always allowed, but you can omit them if the result is unambiguous, e.g. array<int,3>{1,2,3} is equivalent to array<int,3>{{1,2,3}} But if the array's value_type is to be initialized with a braced-initializer-list then you need a completely-braced initialization so that the initializer-list for the value_type doesn't get interpreted as an initializer for the value_type[N] array. It still shouldn't crash the compiler though :)