Specialization constraints of non-sortals

[claudenirmf]

The listed allowed specializations of all non-sortals in the documentation is underspecified:

• Category: can specialize mixins and categories; can be specialized by any endurant class
• Mixin: can specialize mixins and categories; can be specialized by any endurant class
• PhaseMixin: can specialize any non-sortal endurant class; can be specialized by any anti-rigid endurant class
• RoleMixin: can specialize any non-sortal endurant class; can be specialized by any anti-rigid endurant class

[MarekSuchanek]

In your description, I don't see a difference between Category and Mixin.

For PhaseMixin and RoleMixin, the only difference is that RoleMixin is relationally dependent?

[claudenirmf]

Semi-rigid classes (e.g., OntoUML's mixins) can be specialized by rigid ones without a problem. The only additional constraint is that this specialization cannot be complete unless there is some non-rigid class in the same generalization set. In other words, in the extension of a mixin there must be both instances that necessary instantiate it and instances that possibly instantiate it.

Moreover, phase mixins are based on intrinsic properties of endurants, and role mixins based on relational ones, just like sortal phases and roles. For example, you can have the category Animal specialized into phase mixins of Infant Animal and Mature Animal. If the ontology ontology also includes Person, this may be the basis for the phases of Child and Adult. Only observe that if a category is specialized into phase mixins, its instances share some quality (age in this example).

[pedropaulofb]

@claudenirmf or @tgoprince, please confirm the following information so I can correct the other part that is still not solved:

• Category: -- can specialize: Category, Mixin -- can be specialized by Category, Collective, Kind, Mixin, Mode, Phase, PhaseMixin, Quality, Quantity, Relator, Role, RoleMixin, Subkind

• Mixin: -- can specialize: Mixin, Category; -- can be specialized by Category, Collective, Kind, Mixin, Mode, Phase, PhaseMixin, Quality, Quantity, Relator, Role, RoleMixin, Subkind

• PhaseMixin: -- can specialize: Category, RoleMixin, PhaseMixin, Mixin -- can be specialized: by PhaseMixin, RoleMixin, Phase, Role

• RoleMixin: -- can specialize: Category, RoleMixin, PhaseMixin, Mixin -- can be specialized: by PhaseMixin, RoleMixin, Phase, Role