P
Some suggestions so we are not working totally in the dark
1 Define tradition (references to your sources would be welcome).
2 Give us examples of which songs you would like to take the place of those currently understood as traditional.
3 Explain what makes them fit in to your - and (as definition relies on general understanding and agreement) our definition of your understanding of traditional.
4 Advise as to how we are going to persuade all the many hundreds working in the field of traditional music who, in their ignorance, fully accept the current use of the term, to now switch over to your new definition: (what is it that has been suggested so far as a substitute; collected - waiting to be collected – source music)?
5 Suggest why I should walk away from forty years experience, (which includes thirty years of collecting work among er… source – collected - waiting to be collected - singers) at the behest of somebody who has not had the courtesy to identify themself so that I might judge whether their efforts (as a middlingly well known performer) fits in with our estimation of what traditional songs or singing is going to sound like should I accept your argument.

If somebody new to traditional song were to ask me where they might hear good examples of the genre I would probably give them a copy of 'The Song Carriers' (which comes with an excellent commentary).
If they were to enquire where they might find good printed collections of such songs I would have no hesitation in pointing them to 'The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs' or 'The Singing Island'.
If they were to say they wished to learn more about traditional song I would suggest they read A L Lloyd's 'Folk Song In England', or David Buchan's 'The Ballad And The Folk' or David Kerr Cameron's 'The Ballad And The Plough' or Evelyn Wells' 'The Ballad Tree' or, somewhat further afield, Jan Ling's 'A History of European Folk Music'. None of these are by any means perfect, but they are all extremely informative and highly readable introductions to the subject.

I wonder how you would respond to such requests; have you any solid examples of your particular brand of tradition – do you have any accessible research which has been reached by study or debate or even historical precedence to back up your re-definition, or is your suggestion purely whimsical?

If I suddenly decided I would like to learn more about - say opera - I would approach somebody who understands the subject for advice. I would hope they would tell me what I wanted to know in terms I could understand – in other words, I would expect them to start from their own standpoint of experience and knowledge and not patronise me by coming down to my level of inexperience and ignorance, and I certainly wouldn't wish to have someone tell me, "well, because you are quite likely to be confused by all this, we'll throw in Julie Andrews for good measure".

Are there really people out there who actually don't understand the term 'tradition' or are incapable of picking up a dictionary and finding out its meaning.

So far this debate has been a little like wrestling fog - you have not addressed one point that has been put to you. I suppose this is too much to hope for so let's see how you get on with these.
I won't hold my breath.
Greg;
Now go and wash your mouth out!
Cap'n:
I have to say you are very easily persuaded. I am trying to sell a clapped out old van which is at present blocking my driveway – are you interested?
Jim Carroll