diff --git a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/BUILD.bazel b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/BUILD.bazel
index 929d0cf11d5..c89eb04477d 100644
--- a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/BUILD.bazel
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ go_library(
     srcs = [
         "doc.go",
         "generator.go",
+        "helpers.go",
+        "helpers_go111_old.go",
         "template.go",
         "types.go",
     ],
diff --git a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/generator.go b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/generator.go
index 31409ac4c19..61c5a537661 100644
--- a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/generator.go
+++ b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/generator.go
@@ -67,10 +67,6 @@ func mergeTargetFile(targets []*wrapper, mergeFileName string) *wrapper {
 	return mergedTarget
 }
 
-func fieldName(k string) string {
-	return strings.ReplaceAll(strings.Title(k), "-", "_")
-}
-
 // Q: What's up with the alias types here?
 // A: We don't want to completely override how these structs are marshaled into
 //    JSON, we only want to add fields (see below, extensionMarshalJSON).
diff --git a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers.go b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3615596f7c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//+build go1.12
+
+package genswagger
+
+import "strings"
+
+func fieldName(k string) string {
+	return strings.ReplaceAll(strings.Title(k), "-", "_")
+}
diff --git a/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers_go111_old.go b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers_go111_old.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8e9458dd8d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/protoc-gen-swagger/genswagger/helpers_go111_old.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+//+build !go1.12
+
+package genswagger
+
+import "strings"
+
+func fieldName(k string) string {
+	return strings.Replace(strings.Title(k), "-", "_", -1)
+}