diff --git a/src/data/bucket/symbol_bucket.js b/src/data/bucket/symbol_bucket.js
index 4c712968c00..728d6ee1056 100644
--- a/src/data/bucket/symbol_bucket.js
+++ b/src/data/bucket/symbol_bucket.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import {ProgramConfigurationSet} from '../program_configuration';
 import {TriangleIndexArray, LineIndexArray} from '../index_array_type';
 import transformText from '../../symbol/transform_text';
 import mergeLines from '../../symbol/mergelines';
-import {allowsVerticalWritingMode} from '../../util/script_detection';
+import {allowsVerticalWritingMode, stringContainsRTLText} from '../../util/script_detection';
 import {WritingMode} from '../../symbol/shaping';
 import loadGeometry from '../load_geometry';
 import mvt from '@mapbox/vector-tile';
@@ -131,6 +131,15 @@ function addDynamicAttributes(dynamicLayoutVertexArray: StructArray, p: Point, a
     dynamicLayoutVertexArray.emplaceBack(p.x, p.y, angle);
 }
 
+function containsRTLText(formattedText: Formatted): boolean {
+    for (const section of formattedText.sections) {
+        if (stringContainsRTLText(section.text)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    return false;
+}
+
 export class SymbolBuffers {
     layoutVertexArray: SymbolLayoutArray;
     layoutVertexBuffer: VertexBuffer;
@@ -423,7 +432,7 @@ class SymbolBucket implements Bucket {
                 // conversion here.
                 const resolvedTokens = layer.getValueAndResolveTokens('text-field', feature, availableImages);
                 const formattedText = Formatted.factory(resolvedTokens);
-                if (formattedText.containsRTLText()) {
+                if (containsRTLText(formattedText)) {
                     this.hasRTLText = true;
                 }
                 if (
diff --git a/src/style-spec/expression/types/formatted.js b/src/style-spec/expression/types/formatted.js
index 726242ea30f..378a0a2bd5d 100644
--- a/src/style-spec/expression/types/formatted.js
+++ b/src/style-spec/expression/types/formatted.js
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 // @flow
-
-import {stringContainsRTLText} from "../../../util/script_detection";
 import type Color from '../../util/color';
 import type ResolvedImage from '../types/resolved_image';
 
@@ -50,15 +48,6 @@ export default class Formatted {
         return this.sections.map(section => section.text).join('');
     }
 
-    containsRTLText(): boolean {
-        for (const section of this.sections) {
-            if (stringContainsRTLText(section.text)) {
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
-
     serialize(): Array<mixed> {
         const serialized: Array<mixed> = ["format"];
         for (const section of this.sections) {