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Comment by TRDRVR | Hacker News Reader

What about the link contradicts the point that it's pro-colonialist?

The etymology is in doubt for any particular area, not the concept of what a pale was and how it was used to colonize.

That is the point of "many believe."

Also keep in mind that the major doubter is the Oxford English Dictionary...

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Hmm, so if you're interested in my answer, I guess I would ask you how you want to proceed. Do we want to accept that OED is an trustworthy catalog of etymological facts, or not? If not, why? Do you think the quotes it pulls from the 1700's are fabricated? Do you think it's suppressing an earlier usage of "pale of settlement"? What is your claim, exactly?

You're the one whose source was quoting from OED, so you tell me. It'll be easier if we're starting from a shared ground truth.

No I just think all those quotes reference colonization.

Many people believe that specifically the Irish Pale popularized the statement, but the OED aren't among them.

What are we disagreeing about?

Where exactly is the reference to colonization in the Mackenzie quote? This one: "when we would be blessed beyond the pale of reason, we are blessed imperfectly". Sorry, I'm not seeing it.

"Many people believe..."

Name one. Have a free do-over: pick a source you actually agree with this time. Make sure it doesn't quote any reference books that you distrust.

The phrase seems to refer to journeying "beyond the established border" of the settlement. Even if this is from a colonialist perspective, that doesn't obviously make it "pro-colonialist".

> Also keep in mind that the major doubter is the Oxford English Dictionary

So we are to disregard English opinion on the English language?..

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