diff --git a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
index bb296e7d..a955c7d6 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
+++ b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
@@ -85,10 +85,6 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
   };
 
   describe("handling errors", [&]() {
-    before_each([&]() {
-      ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("json"));
-    });
-
     auto get_node_text = [&](TSNode node) {
       size_t start = ts_node_start_byte(node);
       size_t end = ts_node_end_byte(node);
@@ -97,6 +93,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when there is an invalid substring right before a valid token", [&]() {
       it("computes the error node's size and position correctly", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("json"));
         set_text("  [123,  @@@@@,   true]");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -121,6 +118,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when there is an unexpected string in the middle of a token", [&]() {
       it("computes the error node's size and position correctly", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("json"));
         set_text("  [123, faaaaalse, true]");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -146,6 +144,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when there is one unexpected token between two valid tokens", [&]() {
       it("computes the error node's size and position correctly", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("json"));
         set_text("  [123, true false, true]");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -164,6 +163,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when there is an unexpected string at the end of a token", [&]() {
       it("computes the error's size and position correctly", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("json"));
         set_text("  [123, \"hi\n, true]");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -182,14 +182,9 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
   });
 
   describe("handling extra tokens", [&]() {
-    // In the javascript example grammar, ASI works by using newlines as
-    // terminators in statements, but also as extra tokens.
-    before_each([&]() {
-      ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
-    });
-
     describe("when the token appears as part of a grammar rule", [&]() {
       it("is incorporated into the tree", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
         set_text("fn()\n");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -199,6 +194,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when the token appears somewhere else", [&]() {
       it("is incorporated into the tree", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
         set_text(
           "fn()\n"
           "  .otherFn();");
@@ -214,6 +210,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     describe("when several extra tokens appear in a row", [&]() {
       it("is incorporated into the tree", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
         set_text(
           "fn()\n\n"
           "// This is a comment"
@@ -232,13 +229,10 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
   });
 
   describe("editing", [&]() {
-    before_each([&]() {
-      ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
-    });
-
     describe("inserting text", [&]() {
       describe("creating new tokens near the end of the input", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree and re-reads only the changed portion of the text", [&]() {
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("x * (100 + abc);");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -261,6 +255,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree and re-reads only the changed portion of the input", [&]() {
           chunk_size = 2;
 
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("123 + 456 * (10 + x);");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -284,7 +279,6 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
       describe("introducing an error", [&]() {
         it("gives the error the right size", [&]() {
           ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
-
           set_text("var x = y;");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -307,6 +301,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
       describe("into the middle of an existing token", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree", [&]() {
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("abc * 123;");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -325,6 +320,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
       describe("at the end of an existing token", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree", [&]() {
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("abc * 123;");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -343,6 +339,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
       describe("into a node containing a extra token", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree", [&]() {
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("123 *\n"
             "// a-comment\n"
             "abc;");
@@ -371,6 +368,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
     describe("deleting text", [&]() {
       describe("when a critical token is removed", [&]() {
         it("updates the parse tree, creating an error", [&]() {
+          ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
           set_text("123 * 456; 789 * 123;");
 
           assert_root_node(
@@ -391,7 +389,6 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
     describe("replacing text", [&]() {
       it("does not try to re-use nodes that are within the edited region", [&]() {
         ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
-
         set_text("{ x: (b.c) };");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -407,11 +404,8 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
     });
 
     describe("with external tokens", [&]() {
-      before_each([&]() {
-        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("python"));
-      });
-
       it("maintains the external scanner's state during incremental parsing", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("python"));
         string text = dedent(R"PYTHON(
           if a:
               print b
@@ -445,12 +439,9 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
   });
 
   describe("lexing", [&]() {
-    before_each([&]() {
-      ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
-    });
-
     describe("handling tokens containing wildcard patterns (e.g. comments)", [&]() {
       it("terminates them at the end of the document", [&]() {
+        ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
         set_text("x; // this is a comment");
 
         assert_root_node(
@@ -465,6 +456,7 @@ describe("Parser", [&]() {
 
     it("recognizes UTF8 characters as single characters", [&]() {
       // 'ΩΩΩ — ΔΔ';
+      ts_document_set_language(doc, get_test_language("javascript"));
       set_text("'\u03A9\u03A9\u03A9 \u2014 \u0394\u0394';");
 
       assert_root_node(