The collapse of the Classical Latin declension system in vulgar Latin

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Here's what actually happened:

TĔRRĂ > [tεrra] > tεrra

TĔRRĂM > [tεrra] > tεrra

TĔRRAE > [tεrre] > tεrra

TĔRRAE > [tεrre] > tεrra

TĔRRĀ > [tεrra] > tεrra

ANNǓS > [annu(s) > anno(s) > anno] > anno

ANNǓM > [annu > anno] > anno

ANNĪ > [anni > anne (in Gaul and Iberia)] > anno

ANNŌ > [anno] > anno

ANNŌ > [anno] > anno

PĒS > PĔDĬS > [pεde(s) > pεde] > pεde

PĔDĔM > [pεde] > pεde

PĔDĬS > [pεde(s) > pεde] > pεde

PĔDĪ > [pεdi > pεde (again, in Gaul and Iberia)] > pεde

PĔDĒ > [pεde] > pεde

Take a look at the table below, looking down each declension vertically. Bold, italics and bold italics are used to illustrate identical endings for different cases:

	I	II	III	IV	V
Singular
Nominative	terra	annus	pēs	gradus	rēs
Accusative	terram	annum	pedem	gradum	rem
Genitive	terrae	annī	pedis	gradūs	reī
Dative	terrae	annō	pedī	graduī	reī
Ablative	terrā	annō	pede	gradū	rē
Plural
Nominative	terrae	annī	pedēs	gradūs	rēs
Accusative	terrās	annōs	pedēs	gradūs	rēs
Genitive	terrārum	annōrum	pedum	graduum	rērum
Dative	terrīs	annīs	pedibus	gradibus	rēbus
Ablative	terrīs	annīs	pedibus	gradibus	rēbus

In the singular, confusion between cases in Vulgar Latin was widespread within the same declension, with phonetic fusion between accusative and ablative cases across all five declensions. The nominative, genitive and dative forms present a more haphazard picture, but some general patterns can be established. For example, dative and ablative plurals merged in both Classical and vulgar Latin, and with the exception of first declension nouns, phonetic fusion occurred in vulgar Latin between nominative singular and accusative plural forms, and in the third, fourth and fifth declensions we can add the nominative plural to our list. The table below illustrates vertical fusion in all five declensions, in the sermo vulgaris:

	terra	anno	pede	mano	re(s)
	I	II	III	IV	V
Singular
Nominative	a	os	es	os	es
Accusative	a	o	e	o	e
Genitive	e	i	es	os	ei
Dative	e	o	i	ui	ei
Ablative	a	o	e	o	e
Plural
Nominative	e	i	es	os	es
Accusative	as	os	es	os	es
Genitive	aro	oro	o	o	ero
Dative	is	is	ebos	ebos	ebos
Ablative	is	is	ebos	ebos	ebos

Horizontally, one tends to look at flexional parallel behaviour across all five declensions since the fusion of cases within any particular declension is really a separate issue. From the table below it is nonetheless apparent how s became the standard ending for plurals; you'll find it no less than 18 times in plural flexions but only in half a dozen instances in the singular. Since the two main prepositional cases (accusative and ablative) don't show any -s endings in the singular at all, there was no resultant confusion in early vulgar Latin with surviving declensions in the singular. Classical Latin's -ī was a little more persistent, whereas -ū probably bit the dust fairly early on.

Horizontal flexional parallels in Classical and vulgar Latin:

	I	II	III	IV	V
Singular
Nominative	terra	annus	pēs	gradus	rēs
Accusative	terram	annum	pedem	gradum	rem
Genitive	terrae	annī	pedis	gradūs	reī
Dative	terrae	annō	pedī	graduī	reī
Ablative	terrā	annō	pede	gradū	rē
Plural
Nominative	terrae	annī	pedēs	gradūs	rēs
Accusative	terrās	annōs	pedēs	gradūs	rēs
Genitive	terrārum	annōrum	pedum	graduum	rērum
Dative	terrīs	annīs	pedibus	gradibus	rēbus
Ablative	terrīs	annīs	pedibus	gradibus	rēbus

	terra	anno	pede	mano	re(s)
	I	II	III	IV	V
Singular
Nominative	a	os	es	os	es
Accusative	a	o	e	o	e
Genitive	e	i	es	os	ei
Dative	e	o	i	ui	ei
Ablative	a	o	e	o	e
Plural
Nominative	e	i	es	os	es
Accusative	as	os	es	os	es
Genitive	aro	oro	o	o	ero
Dative	is	is	ebos	ebos	ebos
Ablative	is	is	ebos	ebos	ebos