The 4.1.2 gcc can not compile the linux kernel 2.6.11

[Parmenides]

Hi,

    My Linux box is running the kernel 2.6.34, gcc 4.1.2 and ld 2.17.
For some purpose, I want to compile the Linux kernel 2.6.11, but fail
to do that. It is said that the version of gcc is too high to compile
an older kernel source. I wonder whether or not the gcc is backward
compitable with its older version. Or, is there any way to adjust the
current gcc to compile a specific kernel source?