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Show Eilingrialism in Africa Amusing to Americans One of the first features to strike an American visitor to South Africa is the country's bilingualism. As he steps off the boat at Cape Town he is confronted by the double admonition. "No Smoking Nie Rook Nie." , Walking Walk-ing up Adderley street, principal thoroughfare thor-oughfare of the city, he Is told to "Keep to the left Links houden." If he wants to mail a letter back home he must by a "stamp poseel," and if he buys more than one stamp he will find that while oue Is inscribed "South Africa," the next Is marked "Suid-afrika." "Suid-afrika." At the railroad station he will find that the name of the city is given as Cape Town and Kaapstad, and the dining cars are labeled "Dining car Eetsaloon" on a railroad kDown both as South African railways and Suld Afrigannse Spoorweg. And so on. Every Ev-ery official or semiofficial notice in the union is printed in two languages English and Afrikaans. Meanwhile the Englishman grumbles about having hav-ing to pay extra taxes to meet the cost of reprinting notices In Afrikaans, and the Dutchman wonders why the expense ex-pense of using English as well as his own language should be tolerated. |