SBVR16 — Multiple interpretations of the General Concept caption

Annex A.4.5 says: "The 'General Concept' caption can be used to indicate a concept that generalizes the entry concept."

In point of fact, the General Concept caption represents three entirely different verb concepts in different contexts:

• In the entry for a general noun concept or verb concept X, General Concept: Y means 'X specializes Y'.

• In the entry for an individual noun concept X, General Concept: Y means 'X is an instance of Y'.

• In the entry for a "role concept" X, Genera Concept: Y means 'X ranges over Y' (see also Issue 19519).

Further, it is possible for a role concept to specialize another role concept, as 'first member' (of a list) specializes 'member' (of a list). But the range of 'first member' is whatever the list is a list of. Similarly, 'captain (of ship)' specializes 'officer (of ship)' but both range over 'person'. So, overloading General Concept in the way SBVR does makes it less capable of conveying the semantics of roles.

[Note that UML and MOF distinguish between the range of an association end (role) -- the class (general concept) to which it is connected -- and any association end (role) that it subsets/redefines (specializes). SBVR apparently cannot.]