diff --git a/tests/test_language.py b/tests/test_language.py
index 50d8604..1b4ff17 100644
--- a/tests/test_language.py
+++ b/tests/test_language.py
@@ -17,11 +17,9 @@ def setUp(self):
         self.python = tree_sitter_python.language()
         self.rust = tree_sitter_rust.language()
 
-    def test_init_not_positive(self):
+    def test_init_invalid(self):
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, Language, -1)
-
-    def test_init_segv(self):
-        self.assertRaises(RuntimeError, Language, 1024)
+        self.assertRaises(ValueError, Language, 42)
 
     def test_properties(self):
         lang = Language(self.python)
diff --git a/tree_sitter/binding/language.c b/tree_sitter/binding/language.c
index 94172dd..49de38d 100644
--- a/tree_sitter/binding/language.c
+++ b/tree_sitter/binding/language.c
@@ -1,56 +1,19 @@
 #include "language.h"
 
-#ifndef _MSC_VER
-#include <setjmp.h>
-#include <signal.h>
-
-static jmp_buf segv_jmp;
-
-static void segfault_handler(int signal) {
-    if (signal == SIGSEGV) {
-        longjmp(segv_jmp, true);
-    }
-}
-
-// HACK: recover from invalid pointer using a signal handler (Unix)
-TSLanguage *language_check_pointer(void *ptr) {
-    PyOS_setsig(SIGSEGV, segfault_handler);
-    if (!setjmp(segv_jmp)) {
-        __attribute__((unused)) volatile uint32_t version = ts_language_version((TSLanguage *)ptr);
-    } else {
-        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "Invalid TSLanguage pointer");
-    }
-    PyOS_setsig(SIGSEGV, SIG_DFL);
-    return PyErr_Occurred() ? NULL : (TSLanguage *)ptr;
-}
-#else
-#include <windows.h>
-
-// HACK: recover from invalid pointer using SEH (Windows)
-TSLanguage *language_check_pointer(void *ptr) {
-    __try {
-        volatile uint32_t version = ts_language_version((TSLanguage *)ptr);
-    } __except (GetExceptionCode() == EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION ? EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER
-                                                                 : EXCEPTION_CONTINUE_SEARCH) {
-        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "Invalid TSLanguage pointer");
-    }
-    return PyErr_Occurred() ? NULL : (TSLanguage *)ptr;
-}
-#endif
-
 int language_init(Language *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *Py_UNUSED(kwargs)) {
     PyObject *language;
     if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "O:__init__", &language)) {
         return -1;
     }
-    if (PyLong_AsSsize_t(language) < 1) {
+    Py_ssize_t language_id = PyLong_AsSsize_t(language);
+    if (language_id < 1 || (language_id & 7) != 0) {
         if (!PyErr_Occurred()) {
-            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "language ID must be positive");
+            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "invalid language ID");
         }
         return -1;
     }
 
-    self->language = language_check_pointer(PyLong_AsVoidPtr(language));
+    self->language = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(language);
     if (self->language == NULL) {
         return -1;
     }
diff --git a/tree_sitter/binding/lookahead_iterator.c b/tree_sitter/binding/lookahead_iterator.c
index b4f4e57..2ea1162 100644
--- a/tree_sitter/binding/lookahead_iterator.c
+++ b/tree_sitter/binding/lookahead_iterator.c
@@ -43,15 +43,24 @@ PyObject *lookahead_iterator_get_current_symbol_name(LookaheadIterator *self,
 
 PyObject *lookahead_iterator_reset(LookaheadIterator *self, PyObject *args) {
     TSLanguage *language;
-    PyObject *language_id;
+    PyObject *language_obj;
     uint16_t state_id;
-    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OH:reset", &language_id, &state_id)) {
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "OH:reset", &language_obj, &state_id)) {
         return NULL;
     }
     if (REPLACE("reset()", "reset_state()") < 0) {
         return NULL;
     }
-    language = language_check_pointer(PyLong_AsVoidPtr(language_id));
+
+    Py_ssize_t language_id = PyLong_AsSsize_t(language_obj);
+    if (language_id < 1 || (language_id & 7) != 0) {
+        if (!PyErr_Occurred()) {
+            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError, "invalid language ID");
+        }
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    language = PyLong_AsVoidPtr(language_obj);
     if (language == NULL) {
         return NULL;
     }
diff --git a/tree_sitter/binding/tree.c b/tree_sitter/binding/tree.c
index 1c03e2d..b43d5b1 100644
--- a/tree_sitter/binding/tree.c
+++ b/tree_sitter/binding/tree.c
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ static PyGetSetDef tree_accessors[] = {
      NULL},
     {"text", (getter)tree_get_text, NULL,
      PyDoc_STR("The source text of this tree, if unedited.\n\n"
-               ".. deprecated:: 0.22.0\n   Use ``root_node.text`` instead."),
+               ".. deprecated:: 0.22.0\n\n   Use ``root_node.text`` instead."),
      NULL},
     {"included_ranges", (getter)tree_get_included_ranges, NULL,
      PyDoc_STR("The included ranges that were used to parse the syntax tree."), NULL},