diff --git a/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee b/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
index d71d877e0..a02c84d97 100644
--- a/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/atom-spec.coffee
@@ -59,16 +59,12 @@ describe "the `atom` global", ->
 
   describe ".loadPackages()", ->
     beforeEach ->
-      window.rootView = new RootView
       spyOn(syntax, 'addGrammar')
 
-    afterEach ->
-      delete window.rootView
-
     it "terminates the worker when all packages have been loaded", ->
       spyOn(Worker.prototype, 'terminate').andCallThrough()
       eventHandler = jasmine.createSpy('eventHandler')
-      rootView.on 'grammars-loaded', eventHandler
+      syntax.on 'grammars-loaded', eventHandler
       disabledPackages = config.get("core.disabledPackages")
       disabledPackages.push('textmate-package.tmbundle')
       config.set "core.disabledPackages", disabledPackages
diff --git a/src/app/editor.coffee b/src/app/editor.coffee
index 93f0c4474..d4a1a4093 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/app/editor.coffee
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ class Editor extends View
       @gutter.widthChanged = (newWidth) =>
         @scrollView.css('left', newWidth + 'px')
 
-      rootView?.on 'grammars-loaded', =>
+      syntax.on 'grammars-loaded', =>
         @reloadGrammar()
         for session in @editSessions
           session.reloadGrammar() unless session is @activeEditSession
diff --git a/src/app/load-text-mate-packages-task.coffee b/src/app/load-text-mate-packages-task.coffee
index f11205129..2eb904676 100644
--- a/src/app/load-text-mate-packages-task.coffee
+++ b/src/app/load-text-mate-packages-task.coffee
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class LoadTextMatePackagesTask extends Task
   loadNextPackage: ->
     unless @packages.length
       @terminate()
-      rootView.trigger 'grammars-loaded'
+      syntax.trigger 'grammars-loaded'
       return
 
     @package = @packages.shift()
diff --git a/src/app/syntax.coffee b/src/app/syntax.coffee
index 1ff5e8663..1488ddf67 100644
--- a/src/app/syntax.coffee
+++ b/src/app/syntax.coffee
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ jQuery = require 'jquery'
 Specificity = require 'specificity'
 {$$} = require 'space-pen'
 fs = require 'fs'
+EventEmitter = require 'event-emitter'
 
 module.exports =
 class Syntax
@@ -104,3 +105,5 @@ class Syntax
       deepestChild[0]
     else
       element[0]
+
+_.extend(Syntax.prototype, EventEmitter)