Well said Stringsinger. The problem with the 1954 and other definitions is that they leave so much out.

The 1954 definition somehow does not include most of the songs that have been preserved by various collectors.

Also definitions are open to misinterpretation. like Oral Transmission.

If I sing a song that I learned from my Dad who learned it from his Granma then that sounds OK., but what if I learned a song from hearing it on the radio? Does that count? It is certainly oral transmission (OK with a little help in the transmission) but it would include an awful lot of songs which I don't consider Folk.