what's included in 迷信?


The J>E dictionaries I've consulted translate 迷信 as "superstition", but cross-
checking in Daijirin the definition doesn't seem to explicitly reference the
supernatural, instead referring to the lack of a scientific basis for the
belief.

Can you use 迷信 to refer to a myth in the sense of a widely held misconception
(like, "a duck's quack doesn't echo"), or is it limited to things like "black
cats are bad luck"?

If you can't use 迷信 for the first kind of myth, what word would you use
instead?




I'm not a total expert on this and as a non-native I urge you not to take this
as a final authority, but here's what my research is showing me:

As a broad category of these kinds of beliefs, we have
[俗信{ぞくしん}](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%BF%97%E4%BF%A1), or old beliefs,
legends and traditions stemming from customs and religions of yore that have
maintained some sort of presence in modern times. Note that this just refers
to old beliefs and customs; it does _not_ make a claim about whether or not
they are true or illogical. This includes things like omens, fortune telling,
taboos, things related to various forms of sorcery, fairies, spirits, and what
have you, as listed in the dictionary. A lot of these may be clearly false,
but the word itself refers to the fact that they are from older societies (as
in a part of 民俗). This _could_ refer to the English idea of superstitions, but
it might be more appropriate as folklore or something like that.

[迷信【めいしん】](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%BF%B7%E4%BF%A1), however, does make
claims: it refers to those 俗信 that are patently false. This is what we refer
to as superstition. It has no basis in fact and runs contrary to actual
evidence. [Wikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BF%B7%E4%BF%A1) lists
this as the English superstition as well.

Then these both fall under the [言い伝え]{いいつたえ} or 伝説{でんせつ} label, which are
general legends passed down from generation to generation.

Note that 迷信 doesn't carry any supernatural or other connotations like that
explicitly or exclusively, but it can. It can be any old belief that doesn't
follow logic or evidence.

And here's a [big list of them](http://www1.r4.rosenet.jp/gate/meitop.htm)
just for kicks.

Common misconceptions like duck echoes and whatnot might or might not be
rooted in old folk beliefs. That much I don't know, but it's possible that
they might be referred to as 迷信. A native's perspective there would be
appreciated. It's probable that this kind of thing would be referred to as 誤解
though, or misunderstanding. [alc supports
this](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=common%20misconception). It seems you
might be using "superstition" in English to refer to all kinds of myths. After
all, I wouldn't refer to believing that a duck's echo doesn't quack as being
superstitious.

