Discussion on the Article "On Ontological Foundations of Conceptual Modelling" by Boris Wyssusek

In this debate paper we follow up on the argumentation given by Boris Wyssusek, who criticizes the use of the BWW-ontology as a foundation of conceptual modelling. In addition, we mention some other possible foundations for conceptual modelling. We have over many years looked at the area of semiotics, given our social constructivistic view of modelling, and we give a brief overview of how semiotics relates to the ontological approach. Finally, we describe some of our practical experiences with the semiotic approach for evaluating modelling languages in an industrial setting.