Suzanne,

Now you've started something. We just went through this procedure trying to get a definition of folk music.

So here's my two penn'oth.

C & W is derived from (and therefore part of) American folk music.
Subject Matter: Varied,includes humorous, maudlin, lovesick, religious & patriotic. Often highly moral to the extent of being "Goody - Goody"
Chord Structure: Usually very simple, often as few as two or three chords.
Phrasing: again usually simple.
Vocabulary: limited, corny, full of cliches
Singing Style: Southern accents predominate.
Instruments: guitar, fiddle, banjo with some honky tonk piano and one still hears the occasional dulcimer.

It is one of my favorite types of music, which probably tells you quite a bit about me.

Bert.