"I call it folk because ... it is ... dependent on the structures, drones, modalities and rhythmic patterns of Indo-European traditional music"

I think an elaboration of *this* kind of answer was rather what I was hoping for when asking 'what is folk character'? Though I think I didn't ask the right question.

Perhaps I'd have been better off asking what are the identifiable *musical characteristics* of 'folk'?

Unfortunately for me to actually make sense of a decent answer in this vein, would probably require a far greater understanding of musical theory than I possess. Not to mention a long sit in a dictionary what has words like ethnomusicology in it...