Why do Indians express numbers as "crore" and "lakh" even in ENGLISH and expect people to know what these are?

Question

They can use their own numerical system when they're talking to their own countrymen.

But I've noticed that even when they're speaking English to people of OTHER nationalities, they use "crore" (10 million) and "lakh" (100 thousand) and expect everyone to know what these are!

Why don't the Indians understand that "crore" and "lakh" are words in their own languages, not in English? Even if they are used in English in India, they're called "dialectal terms" at best.

In Chinese, we use "wàn" to refer to 10,000 and "yì" to refer to 100 million. But we'd NEVER use these terms in English. In English, they're "ten thousand" and "one hundred million". There's a distinction between languages.

Do Indians honestly believe that Britons and Americans use "crore" and "lakh" too? Because South Asians are the only people in the world who do :-)

(Just as we East Asians are the only people who use "wàn" and "yì" and variants, e.g. "man" and "oku" in Japanese.)

Haha, no, it doesn't matter to me at all, since I understand these words :)

But my father was very confused once by an e-mail he got from an Indian business customer that was full of crores and lakhs, so he had to ask me to translate it for him :p

Answer 1

Well, yeah I do understand your problem. I think that its an "English arrogance" problem which the Indians have inherited from using the English language. Look at the way the English and even more the English-speaking Americans will lace their communications with words and terms nobody but them can understand: "14 stone," "3 bob," "2 shillings," "gallons, miles, inches, quarts, Fahrenheit, etc."

You do have to understand too that "Indian English" is the English dialect with the largest number of speakers in the world! (over 400 million) so refer above to the "arrogance" part..........

Answer 2

We can say yes.

We (Indians) use the words Karod (Crore) and Lakh from our childhood. By our instinct we beleive that other nationalities also use these words.

I think we should change the way to speak to the English people a bit. This is a good example. We should use 100 thousands instead of 1 lakh and 10 million instead of 1 crore.

But can't say if people in Briton & America will start using these words!

Answer 3

Does it matter? You seem to know what crore and lakh mean so it shouldn't bother you if you understand it right? As for others, so what, they'll learn two foreign words, they should feel special, they know some foreign words. And hey, its faster saying "two lakh" as opposed to "two hundred thousand dollars". :). I'm indian and i've never heard any indian people say crore or lakh to a non-indian, where do you live girl?...lol

Answer 4

heehee, One fifth of the world Population is Indian. ;o)
and there are other diversities in the rest 4... so you can say, we're usin crores and lakhs because we have a major part of our ppl that coudl understand it ;)

Answer 5

NO MORE TUPAC!!!!!!!!!!!!!