In this paper we are concerned with the degree to which modeling lan- guages explicitly accommodate conceptual distinctions. Such distinctions refer to the precision and nuance with which ag iven modeling concept in al anguage can be in- terpreted (e.g., can an actor be ah uman, an abstraction, or ac ollection of things). We start by elaborating on the notion of conceptual distinctions, while also providing a list of common modeling concepts and related distinctions that are relevant to enter- prise modeling. Based on this, we will then analyze an umber of conceptual modeling languages to see whether the ya ccommodate the explicit modeling of (potentially im- portant) conceptual distinctions -t hat is, whether the yh av es pecific language elements to model conceptually distinct entities with. On basis of these findings we then further discuss ho wt oe nsure such different distinctions are captured in created models, how to kno ww hich of them to support in modeling languages, and where existing methods fall short. We conclude by discussing what impact our findings may have on the use (and validation) of modeling languages.
['Dirk van der Linden', 'Henderik Alex Proper']
On the accommodation of conceptual distinctions in conceptual modeling languages