I knew that, Mike. I read your playlists. When literary people talk about ballads, definition #2 is the operative one. When the milieu is the world of "pop" music, the new definition obviously applies. And we all know that the "pop" world outnumbers our folk world exponentially. Out of curiosity, how many of the DJs posting to that listserv do you feel comprehend or are even aware of the folk and/or literary definition? (No names, of course, just an estimate.) If you prefer, I'll be content with a private reply. ;-)

I guess I've made it pretty obvious that I'm reluctant to see our language change so rapidly and without serious thought as to the consequences in terms of meaningful communication. I'd rather our dictionary editors put up a stronger resistance to the influences of common usage. My old Oxford doesn't include definition #3 at all. Neither does my favorite, the old Century, but I'll have to admit that one's obsolete (even though it's the later, 1897 edition). That's probably why I love it!

Sandy