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Freddie Kissoon is wrong about Gail Teixeira

Jun 26, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
I refer to Frederick Kissoon’s column of 19th June, 2013 under the heading “Does dictatorship madden those attracted to it?” He quoted several members or close supporters of the PPP/C to prove his case. One of these, based on his context of the person’s status within the PPP, where she lived and her accent, has to be Gail Teixeira.
Now, I have no sympathy for those PPP leaders who have dictatorial tendencies, but to use the so-called “false” Canadian accent of Gail Teixeira as one of those examples is itself madness.
Many people have accused Freddie Kissoon of not doing enough research for his columns and they may be right. Let’s look at some facts: Gail did not spend a couple of years in Canada as he said. She lived there for more than ten years, from 1966 to 1977, during which period she never returned to Guyana. She returned to Guyana in 1977 and not 1970 as Freddie said. Gail does not have a Canadian accent, neither “false” nor “true”. In fact, I’ve not known her to change her speech towards a Canadian accent in the more than twenty years I have known her.
So what accent does Gail have? I accept it’s unique which is a result of her environment. You see, she grew up at home not only with a Portuguese father but also an English mother who was born in England and came to Guyana (or British Guiana) with her parents when she was very young. Her maternal grandparents also lived in Guyana and Gail visited them for extended periods frequently. Her mother never left Guyana until the family emigrated to Canada in 1966.
So her home environment, along with living in Canada for over 10 years led to her accent. I guess the 12 years or so in which she lived in central Georgetown (not far from the Kissoons) before emigration was not enough to make her sound like a true Guyanese like Freddie. What is important is that all Guyanese understand Teixeira when she speaks.
E. Rodrigues

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