diff --git a/r/configure b/r/configure
index 0f63e26038f2e..cae5c3a94e187 100755
--- a/r/configure
+++ b/r/configure
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ if [ "$ARROW_R_DEV" = "TRUE" ]; then
   ${R_HOME}/bin/Rscript data-raw/codegen.R
 fi
 
-UNAME=$(uname -s)
+UNAME=`uname -s`
 
 if [ "$LOCAL_AUTOBREW" = "TRUE" ]; then
   # LOCAL_AUTOBREW means use the script in tools/
@@ -96,10 +96,10 @@ else
 fi
 
 # Find compiler
-CXXCPP="$(${R_HOME}/bin/R CMD config CXX11) -E"
-CXX11FLAGS=$("${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CXX11FLAGS)
-CXX11STD=$("${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CXX11STD)
-CPPFLAGS=$("${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CPPFLAGS)
+CXXCPP="`${R_HOME}/bin/R CMD config CXX11` -E"
+CXX11FLAGS=`"${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CXX11FLAGS`
+CXX11STD=`"${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CXX11STD`
+CPPFLAGS=`"${R_HOME}"/bin/R CMD config CPPFLAGS`
 
 # If libarrow uses the old GLIBCXX ABI, so we have to use it too
 if [ "$ARROW_USE_OLD_CXXABI" ]; then