אז׳ה

Azhe (Azhepu, "Azhe people") is a Loloish language of southeastern Yunnan, China, spoken in Mile and Yiliang counties of Honghe Hani-Yi Autonomous Prefecture. The Azhe are recognized by the Chinese government as part of the broader Yi nationality (ethnic group), though the Azhe variety is mutually unintelligible with the prestige Yi (Nuosu) variety (ii) of Liangshan Prefecture. Azhe is famous in Chinese ethnomusicology as the language of the "Azhe Tiao Yue" ("Azhe Jumping Moon Dance"), an iconic ritual dance with extensive song lyrics in Azhe documented since the 1950s. Linguistically, Azhe shows typical Loloish features: tonal (4 tones), classifier-noun constructions, and a rich vocabulary for terraced rice agriculture.