TERRI IRWIN - IRWIN: 'AMERICAN SLANG RUINING AUSTRALIAN PHRASES'

IRWIN: 'AMERICAN SLANG RUINING AUSTRALIAN PHRASES'

TERRI IRWIN has warned U.S. terminology and culture is swallowing up traditional Aussie phrases. The widow of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was born in America but moved Down Under when she married the Australian TV personality in 1992. Now the environmentalist is campaigning to preserve classic Australian slang like crikey, g'day and strewth - as used frequently by her late husband - for the next generation. She says, "America has so infiltrated Australia that Australianisms are starting to fade. Australian slang is part of the beautiful cultural value of this nation. "Crikey - hold your head up, don't feel embarrassed about ockerism."