diff --git a/src/cgutils.cpp b/src/cgutils.cpp
index eca23f06a9160..833b3494fe277 100644
--- a/src/cgutils.cpp
+++ b/src/cgutils.cpp
@@ -1602,19 +1602,24 @@ static void emit_error(jl_codectx_t &ctx, const Twine &txt)
 }
 
 // DO NOT PASS IN A CONST CONDITION!
-static void error_unless(jl_codectx_t &ctx, Value *cond, const Twine &msg)
+static void error_unless(jl_codectx_t &ctx, Function *F, Value *cond, const Twine &msg)
 {
     ++EmittedConditionalErrors;
     BasicBlock *failBB = BasicBlock::Create(ctx.builder.getContext(), "fail", ctx.f);
     BasicBlock *passBB = BasicBlock::Create(ctx.builder.getContext(), "pass");
     ctx.builder.CreateCondBr(cond, passBB, failBB);
     ctx.builder.SetInsertPoint(failBB);
-    just_emit_error(ctx, prepare_call(jlerror_func), msg);
+    just_emit_error(ctx, F, msg);
     ctx.builder.CreateUnreachable();
     passBB->insertInto(ctx.f);
     ctx.builder.SetInsertPoint(passBB);
 }
 
+static void error_unless(jl_codectx_t &ctx, Value *cond, const Twine &msg)
+{
+    error_unless(ctx, prepare_call(jlerror_func), cond, msg);
+}
+
 static void raise_exception(jl_codectx_t &ctx, Value *exc,
                             BasicBlock *contBB=nullptr)
 {
@@ -4520,7 +4525,7 @@ static jl_cgval_t emit_const_len_memorynew(jl_codectx_t &ctx, jl_datatype_t *typ
         overflow |= __builtin_add_overflow(nbytes, nel, &nbytes);
     }
     if (overflow)
-        emit_error(ctx, "invalid GenericMemory size: too large for system address width");
+        emit_error(ctx, prepare_call(jlargumenterror_func), "invalid GenericMemory size: too large for system address width");
 
     auto ct = get_current_task(ctx);
     auto ptls = get_current_ptls(ctx);
@@ -4636,8 +4641,10 @@ static jl_cgval_t emit_memorynew(jl_codectx_t &ctx, jl_datatype_t *typ, jl_cgval
         Value *overflow1 = ctx.builder.CreateExtractValue(add_with_overflow, 1);
         overflow = ctx.builder.CreateOr(overflow, overflow1);
     }
+    Value *negnel = ctx.builder.CreateICmpSLT(nel_unboxed, ConstantInt::get(T_size, 0));
+    overflow = ctx.builder.CreateOr(overflow, negnel);
     Value *notoverflow = ctx.builder.CreateNot(overflow);
-    error_unless(ctx, notoverflow, "invalid GenericMemory size: too large for system address width");
+    error_unless(ctx, prepare_call(jlargumenterror_func), notoverflow, "invalid GenericMemory size: too large for system address width");
     // actually allocate
     auto call = prepare_call(jl_alloc_genericmemory_unchecked_func);
     auto alloc = ctx.builder.CreateCall(call, { ptls, nbytes, cg_typ});
diff --git a/src/codegen.cpp b/src/codegen.cpp
index 05d3255d1c384..328b16b75aad7 100644
--- a/src/codegen.cpp
+++ b/src/codegen.cpp
@@ -820,6 +820,12 @@ static const auto jlerror_func = new JuliaFunction<>{
             {getPointerTy(C)}, false); },
     get_attrs_noreturn,
 };
+static const auto jlargumenterror_func = new JuliaFunction<>{
+    XSTR(jl_argument_error),
+    [](LLVMContext &C) { return FunctionType::get(getVoidTy(C),
+            {getPointerTy(C)}, false); },
+    get_attrs_noreturn,
+};
 static const auto jlatomicerror_func = new JuliaFunction<>{
     XSTR(jl_atomic_error),
     [](LLVMContext &C) { return FunctionType::get(getVoidTy(C),
@@ -10356,6 +10362,7 @@ static void init_jit_functions(void)
     add_named_global("__stack_chk_fail", &__stack_chk_fail);
     add_named_global(jlpgcstack_func, (void*)NULL);
     add_named_global(jlerror_func, &jl_error);
+    add_named_global(jlargumenterror_func, &jl_argument_error);
     add_named_global(jlatomicerror_func, &jl_atomic_error);
     add_named_global(jlthrow_func, &jl_throw);
     add_named_global(jlundefvarerror_func, &jl_undefined_var_error);
diff --git a/src/julia.h b/src/julia.h
index 1a6ffb6d35efb..33cd4d3098728 100644
--- a/src/julia.h
+++ b/src/julia.h
@@ -2064,6 +2064,7 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_type_error_rt(const char *fname,
                                                jl_value_t *got JL_MAYBE_UNROOTED);
 JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_undefined_var_error(jl_sym_t *var, jl_value_t *scope JL_MAYBE_UNROOTED);
 JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_has_no_field_error(jl_datatype_t *t, jl_sym_t *var);
+JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_argument_error(char *str);
 JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_atomic_error(char *str);
 JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_bounds_error(jl_value_t *v JL_MAYBE_UNROOTED,
                                               jl_value_t *t JL_MAYBE_UNROOTED);
diff --git a/src/rtutils.c b/src/rtutils.c
index 85a9be5e0b1da..c9aa4d29f31ab 100644
--- a/src/rtutils.c
+++ b/src/rtutils.c
@@ -157,6 +157,13 @@ JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_has_no_field_error(jl_datatype_t *t, jl_sym_t *
     jl_throw(jl_new_struct(jl_fielderror_type, t, var));
 }
 
+JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_argument_error(char *str) // == jl_exceptionf(jl_argumenterror_type, "%s", str)
+{
+    jl_value_t *msg = jl_pchar_to_string((char*)str, strlen(str));
+    JL_GC_PUSH1(&msg);
+    jl_throw(jl_new_struct(jl_argumenterror_type, msg));
+}
+
 JL_DLLEXPORT void JL_NORETURN jl_atomic_error(char *str) // == jl_exceptionf(jl_atomicerror_type, "%s", str)
 {
     jl_value_t *msg = jl_pchar_to_string((char*)str, strlen(str));