Bump for the Is Folk a Dirty Word folks.

"Shanty" never had a naval science definition. It's pop culture. What does it mean to you and to the other sides of the producer, artist, consumer cultural exchange?

Substitute your personal definition in the same sentence. e.g. historically: The rhythmic sounds mariners make when going about tasks in unison.

Note the absence of any martial/mercantile distinctions. Ergo, the answer is yes. The more critical attributes defined the higher the exclusion ratio. Instrumentals will lose you a lot of shanty consumers right off the top.

But... none of it changes the nonfiction naval science of R.N. practice.

Earliest Commercial Shanty Recordings lists as many 'authentic' vocational group work songs as your average Belafonte album has 'authentic' calypso road marches or Jamaican stevedore chants. It can still be popular and profitable if it's fun to begin with.