When did speakers begin to recognize Romance speech as different from Latin?

Determining exactly when speakers began to recognize Romance speech as distinct from Latin is complex, as it involves both subjective consciousness and objective textual evidence.

Some scholars suggest that speakers may have realized their everyday speech had diverged from Latin as early as the 5th century, potentially influenced by the arrival of barbarians in the Roman Empire. However, more concrete evidence appears in the 9th century, when deliberate efforts were made to create written forms of vernacular Romance distinct from Latin.12

A significant catalyst for this recognition was the intellectual reform led by Charlemagne, which reestablished classical standards for written Latin. This revival made it increasingly apparent that the vernacular and Latin were no longer the same language. Consequently, in 813, the Council of Tours decreed that sermons should be delivered in rusticam Romanam linguam ("the rustic Roman language") to ensure they were intelligible to the congregation. Following this, the first written vernacular texts began to emerge in northern France, followed by Spain and Italy.13