Azer or Azayr is a mostly or entirely extinct dialect of the Soninke language,[1][2] heavily mixed with Berber and Hassaniya Arabic, formerly spoken in Mauritania and northern Mali.
[3][4] Azer arose as a lingua franca for trade across the Sahel, a mixture between Soninke and Berber, widely spoken in the salt-trading centres of Ouadane, Tinigi, Chinguetti, Tichit, Oualata, and Aoudaghost.
Azer's usage progressively declined beginning in the 16th century as it was replaced by Berber and Hassaniya.
[3] Elements of the language were collected and studied by Heinrich Barth in the 19th century, Diego Brosset in 1930–1931 and Théodore Monod in 1934.
[5] Some Berber and Nemadi communities in the Adrar Plateau, Araouane, Oualata, Néma and Taoudenni spoke Azer well into the 20th century.