diff --git a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
index 52067b888c..0b686e3c7f 100755
--- a/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
+++ b/core/bootstrap/primitives.factor
@@ -87,11 +87,7 @@ call
     "words.private"
     "vectors"
     "vectors.private"
-} [
-    dup find-vocab-root swap create-vocab
-    [ set-vocab-root ] keep
-    f swap set-vocab-source-loaded?
-] each
+} [ create-vocab drop ] each
 
 H{ } clone source-files set
 H{ } clone class<map set
diff --git a/core/bootstrap/syntax.factor b/core/bootstrap/syntax.factor
index 4df5a68e97..a4e87f28d8 100755
--- a/core/bootstrap/syntax.factor
+++ b/core/bootstrap/syntax.factor
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@
 USING: words sequences vocabs kernel ;
 IN: bootstrap.syntax
 
-"syntax" create-vocab
-"resource:core" over set-vocab-root
-f swap set-vocab-source-loaded?
+"syntax" create-vocab drop
 
 {
     "!"