Ai-Cham language
| Ai-Cham | |
|---|---|
| Native to | China | 
| Region | Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou Province | 
| Native speakers | (2,700 cited 2000) | 
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aih | 
| Glottolog | aich1238 | 
Ai-Cham (autonym: ʔai33 cam11; Chinese: 锦话) is a Kam–Sui language spoken mainly in Diwo 地莪 and Boyao 播尧 Townships, Jialiang District, Libo County, Qiannan Prefecture, Guizhou, China. Alternative names for the language are Jiamuhua, Jinhua and Atsam. Fang-Kuei Li first distinguished the language in 1943. Nearby languages include Bouyei and Mak. However, Yang (2000) considers Ai-Cham and Mak to be different dialects of an identical language.
Ai-Cham has six tones. Regarded of speaker's nationality, they are being subsumed under "Bouyei" nationality (same with speakers of Mak language).
The mythical patriarch and hero of the Ai-Cham people is the demigod Wu Sangui, who is celebrated during the Ai-Cham New Year.