Reference. Syntax and semantics of dependent types

Martin Hofmann · · type-theory · DOI

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Cite as @Hofmann_1997 (helia, typst) · \cite{Hofmann_1997} (LaTeX)
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bibtex · 11 lines
@inbook{Hofmann_1997,
 title = {Syntax and Semantics of Dependent Types},
 author = {Hofmann, Martin},
 year = {1997},
 booktitle = {Semantics and Logics of Computation},
 series = {Publications of the Newton Institute},
 pages = {79–130},
 publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
 collection = {Publications of the Newton Institute},
 place = {Cambridge}
}
hayagriva YAML (typst)
yaml · 13 lines
Hofmann_1997:
  type: chapter
  title: Syntax and Semantics of Dependent Types
  author: Hofmann, Martin
  date: 1997
  page-range: 79-130
  parent:
    type: book
    title: Semantics and Logics of Computation
    publisher: Cambridge University Press
    parent:
      type: book
      title: Publications of the Newton Institute
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Normalization for multimodal type theory gratzer-2026-normalization

We prove normalization for MTT, a general multimodal dependent type theory capable of expressing modal type theories for guarded recursion, internalized parametricity, and various other prototypical modal situations. We prove that deciding type checking and conversion in MTT can be reduced to deciding the equality of modalities in the underlying modal situation, immediately yielding a type checking algorithm for all instantiations of MTT in the literature. This proof uses a generalization of synthetic Tait computability – an abstract approach to gluing proofs – to account for modalities. This extension is based on MTT itself, so that this proof also constitutes a significant case study of MTT.
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Handling Higher-Order Effectful Operations with Judgemental Monadic Laws yang-2026-handling

This paper studies the design of programming languages with handlers of higher-order effectful operations - effectful operations that may take in computations as arguments or return computations as output. We present and analyse a core calculus with higher-kinded impredicative polymorphism, handlers of higher-order effectful operations, and optionally general recursion. The distinctive design choice of this calculus is that handlers are carried by lawless raw monads, while the computation judgements still satisfy the monadic laws judgementally. We present the calculus with a logical framework and give denotational models of the calculus using realizability semantics. We prove closed-term canonicity and parametricity for the recursion-free fragment of the language using synthetic Tait computability and a novel form of the ⊤⊤-lifting technique.
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Fat Cell Structures and Generalized Algebraic Theories huang-2026-fat

We give a new syntax-independent account of finitely-presented generalized algebraic theories (GATs) as finite cell complexes in the category of categories with families (CwFs), in which GATs are constructed by successive pushouts along the CwF morphisms generically postulating a sort, an operation, or an equation. Inspired by the fat small object argument of Makkai, Rosický, and Vokřínek, we introduce fat GAT presentations, thereby allowing infinite presentations with non-linear dependency structure. Then, motivated by wanting our GATs to self-describe, we extend presentations to admit infinitary arities, including infinitely deep dependency chains. Finally, we verify that these generalized GATs satisfy expected semantic properties including Frey’s Gabriel–Ulmer duality.
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A dependently-typed calculus of event telicity and culminativity kovalev-2026-a

We present a dependently-typed cross-linguistic framework for analyzing the telicity and culminativity of events, accompanied by examples of using our framework to model English sentences. Our framework consists of two parts. In the nominal domain, we model the boundedness of noun phrases and its relationship to subtyping, delimited quantities, and adjectival modification. In the verbal domain, we define a dependent event calculus, modeling telic events as those whose undergoer is bounded, culminating events as telic events that achieve their inherent endpoint, and consider adverbial modification. In both domains, we pay particular attention to associated entailments. Our framework is defined as an extension of intensional Martin-Löf dependent type theory, and the rules and examples in this paper have been formalized in the Agda proof assistant.
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Type Theory in Type Theory using a Strictified Syntax kaposi_pujet_2025

The metatheory of dependent types has seen a lot of progress in recent years. In particular, the development of categorical gluing finally lets us work with semantic presentations of type theory (such as categories with families) to establish fundamental properties of type theory such as canonicity and normalisation. However, proofs by gluing have yet to reach the stage of computer formalisation: formal proofs for the metatheory of dependent types are still stuck in the age of tedious syntactic proofs. The main reason for this is that semantic presentations of type theory are defined using sophisticated indexed inductive types, which are prone to “transport hell”. In this paper, we introduce a new technique to work with CwFs in intensional type theory without getting stuck in transport hell. More specifically, we construct an alternative presentation of the initial CwF which encodes the substitutions as metatheoretical functions. This has the effect of strictifying all the equations that are involved in the substitution calculus, which greatly reduces the need for transports. As an application, we use our strictified initial CwF to give a short and elegant proof of canonicity for a type theory with dependent products and booleans with large elimination. The resulting proof is fully formalised in Agda.
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Intrinsic Verification of Parsers and Formal Grammar Theory in Dependent Lambek Calculus intrinsic-verification-of-parsers

We present Dependent Lambek Calculus (Lambek𝙳), a domain-specific dependent type theory for verified parsing and formal grammar theory. In Lambek𝙳, linear types are used as a syntax for formal grammars, and parsers can be written as linear terms. The linear typing restriction provides a form of intrinsic verification that a parser yields only valid parse trees for the input string. We demonstrate the expressivity of this system by showing that the combination of inductive linear types and dependency on non-linear data can be used to encode commonly used grammar formalisms such as regular and context-free grammars as well as traces of various types of automata. Using these encodings, we define parsers for regular expressions using deterministic automata, as well as examples of verified parsers of context-free grammars.

We present a denotational semantics of our type theory that interprets the linear types as functions from strings to sets of abstract parse trees and terms as parse transformers. Based on this denotational semantics, we have made a prototype implementation of Lambek𝙳 using a shallow embedding in the Agda proof assistant. All of our examples parsers have been implemented in this prototype implementation.

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Coverage Semantics for Dependent Pattern Matching eremondi-2025-coverage

Dependent pattern matching is a key feature in dependently typed programming. However, there is a theory-practice disconnect: while many proof assistants implement pattern matching as primitive, theoretical presentations give semantics to pattern matching by elaborating to eliminators. Though theoretically convenient, eliminators can be awkward and verbose, particularly for complex combinations of patterns. This work aims to bridge the theory-practice gap by presenting a direct categorical semantics for pattern matching, which does not elaborate to eliminators. This is achieved using sheaf theory to describe when sets of arrows (terms) can be amalgamated into a single arrow. We present a language with top-level dependent pattern matching, without specifying which sets of patterns are considered covering for a match. Then, we give a sufficient criterion for which pattern-sets admit a sound model: patterns should be in the canonical coverage for the category of contexts. Finally, we use sheaf-theoretic saturation conditions to devise some allowable sets of patterns. We are able to express and exceed the status quo, giving semantics for datatype constructors, nested patterns, absurd patterns, propositional equality, and dot patterns.
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Idempotent Resources in Separation Logic: The Heart of core in Iris gratzer-2025-idempotent

We revisit the foundational notion of “resources” used by separation logics from a categorical and algebraic viewpoint. In particular, we show that the cameras used by concurrent, higher-order, impredicative separation logics like Iris as a generalization of partial commutative monoids can be simplified and clarified and we introduce a category of cameras in which many vital cameras exhibit simple universal properties. We do this by observing that an important structure on cameras (the core operator) can be uniquely constrained and replaced by the property governing the idempotent elements of the camera. We verify that all cameras used in practice in Iris satisfy this property and use this insight to simplify the existing Iris formalization.
DOI

Towards Computational UIP in Cubical Agda tan_etal_2025

Some advantages of Cubical Type Theory, as implemented by Cubical Agda, over intensional Martin-Löf Type Theory include Quotient Inductive Types (QITs), which exist as instances of Higher Inductive Types, and functional extensionality, which is provable in Cubical Type Theory. However, HoTT features an infinite hierarchy of equalities that may become unwieldy in formalisations. Fortunately, QITs and functional extensionality are both preserved even if the equality levels of Cubical Type Theory are truncated to only homotopical Sets (h-Sets). In other words, removing the univalence axiom from Cubical Type Theory and instead postulating a conflicting axiom: the Uniqueness of Identity Proofs (UIP) postulate. Since univalence is proved in Cubical Type Theory from the so-called Glue Types, therefore, it is known that one can first remove the Glue Types (thus removing univalence) and then set-truncate all equalities (essentially assuming UIP), à la XTT. The result is a “h-Set Cubical Type Theory” that retains features such as functional extensionality and QITs.

However, in Cubical Agda, there are currently only two unsatisfying ways to achieve h-Set Cubical Type Theory. The first is to give up on the canonicity of the theory and simply postulate the UIP axiom, while the second way is to use a standard result stating “type formers preserve h-levels” to manually prove UIP for every defined type. The latter is, however, laborious work best suited for an automatic implementation by the proof assistant. In this project, we analyse formulations of UIP and detail their computation rules for Cubical Agda, and evaluate their suitability for implementation. We also implement a variant of Cubical Agda without Glue, which is already compatible with postulated UIP, in anticipation of a future implementation of UIP in Cubical Agda.

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The category of iterative sets in homotopy type theory and univalent foundations gratzer-2024-the

When working in homotopy type theory and univalent foundations, the traditional role of the category of sets, 𝒮︀ℯ︀𝓉︀ , is replaced by the category 𝒽︀𝒮︀ℯ︀𝓉︀ of homotopy sets (h-sets); types with h-propositional identity types. Many of the properties of 𝒮︀ℯ︀𝓉︀ hold for 𝒽︀𝒮︀ℯ︀𝓉︀ ((co)completeness, exactness, local cartesian closure, etc.). Notably, however, the univalence axiom implies that 𝖮𝖻𝒽︀𝒮︀ℯ︀𝓉︀ is not itself an h-set, but an h-groupoid. This is expected in univalent foundations, but it is sometimes useful to also have a stricter universe of sets, for example, when constructing internal models of type theory. In this work, we equip the type of iterative sets 𝖵0 , due to Gylterud ((2018). The Journal of Symbolic Logic 83 (3) 1132–1146) as a refinement of the pioneering work of Aczel ((1978). Logic Colloquium’77 , Studies in Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics, vol. 96, Elsevier, 55–66.) on universes of sets in type theory, with the structure of a Tarski universe and show that it satisfies many of the good properties of h-sets. In particular, we organize 𝖵0 into a (non-univalent strict) category and prove that it is locally cartesian closed. This enables us to organize it into a category with families with the structure necessary to model extensional type theory internally in HoTT/UF. We do this in a rather minimal univalent type theory with W-types, in particular we do not rely on any HITs, or other complex extensions of type theory. Furthermore, the construction of 𝖵0 and the model is fully constructive and predicative, while still being very convenient to work with as the decoding from 𝖵0 into h-sets commutes definitionally for all type constructors. Almost all of the paper has been formalized in 𝙰𝚐𝚍𝚊 using the 𝚊𝚐𝚍𝚊 - 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚑 library of univalent mathematics.
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Toward a Geometry for Syntax sterling-2024-toward

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Internal Parametricity, without an Interval altenkirch-2024-internal

Parametricity is a property of the syntax of type theory implying, e.g., that there is only one function having the type of the polymorphic identity function. Parametricity is usually proven externally, and does not hold internally. Internalising it is difficult because once there is a term witnessing parametricity, it also has to be parametric itself and this results in the appearance of higher dimensional cubes. In previous theories with internal parametricity, either an explicit syntax for higher cubes is present or the theory is extended with a new sort for the interval. In this paper we present a type theory with internal parametricity which is a simple extension of Martin-Löf type theory: there are a few new type formers, term formers and equations. Geometry is not explicit in this syntax, but emergent: the new operations and equations only refer to objects up to dimension 3. We show that this theory is modelled by presheaves over the BCH cube category. Fibrancy conditions are not needed because we use span-based rather than relational parametricity. We define a gluing model for this theory implying that external parametricity and canonicity hold. The theory can be seen as a special case of a new kind of modal type theory, and it is the simplest setting in which the computational properties of higher observational type theory can be demonstrated.
PDF · DOI · arXiv · pldb

Polynomial Time and Dependent Types atkey-2024-polynomial

We combine dependent types with linear type systems that soundly and completely capture polynomial time computation. We explore two systems for capturing polynomial time: one system that disallows construction of iterable data, and one, based on the LFPL system of Martin Hofmann, that controls construction via a payment method. Both of these are extended to full dependent types via Quantitative Type Theory, allowing for arbitrary computation in types alongside guaranteed polynomial time computation in terms. We prove the soundness of the systems using a realisability technique due to Dal Lago and Hofmann. Our long-term goal is to combine the extensional reasoning of type theory with intensional reasoning about the resources intrinsically consumed by programs. This paper is a step along this path, which we hope will lead both to practical systems for reasoning about programs’ resource usage, and to theoretical use as a form of synthetic computational complexity theory .
PDF · DOI · arXiv · pldb

For the Metatheory of Type Theory, Internal Sconing Is Enough bocquet_etal_2023

Metatheorems about type theories are often proven by interpreting the syntax into models constructed using categorical gluing. We propose to use only sconing (gluing along a global section functor) instead of general gluing. The sconing is performed internally to a presheaf category, and we recover the original glued model by externalization.

Our method relies on constructions involving two notions of models: first-order models (with explicit contexts) and higher-order models (without explicit contexts). Sconing turns a displayed higher-order model into a displayed first-order model.

Using these, we derive specialized induction principles for the syntax of type theory. The input of such an induction principle is a boilerplate-free description of its motives and methods, not mentioning contexts. The output is a section with computation rules specified in the same internal language. We illustrate our framework by proofs of canonicity and normalization for type theory.

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A Cubical Language for Bishop Sets sterling-2022-a

We present XTT, a version of Cartesian cubical type theory specialized for Bishop sets à la Coquand, in which every type enjoys a definitional version of the uniqueness of identity proofs. Using cubical notions, XTT reconstructs many of the ideas underlying Observational Type Theory, a version of intensional type theory that supports function extensionality. We prove the canonicity property of XTT (that every closed boolean is definitionally equal to a constant) using Artin gluing.
DOI

Logical Relations as Types: Proof-Relevant Parametricity for Program Modules sterling_harper_2021

The theory of program modules is of interest to language designers not only for its practical importance to programming, but also because it lies at the nexus of three fundamental concerns in language design: the phase distinction, computational effects, and type abstraction. We contribute a fresh “synthetic” take on program modules that treats modules as the fundamental constructs, in which the usual suspects of prior module calculi (kinds, constructors, dynamic programs) are rendered as derived notions in terms of a modal type-theoretic account of the phase distinction. We simplify the account of type abstraction (embodied in the generativity of module functors) through a lax modality that encapsulates computational effects, placing projectibility of module expressions on a type-theoretic basis.

Our main result is a (significant) proof-relevant and phase-sensitive generalization of the Reynolds abstraction theorem for a calculus of program modules, based on a new kind of logical relation called a parametricity structure. Parametricity structures generalize the proof-irrelevant relations of classical parametricity to proof-relevant families, where there may be non-trivial evidence witnessing the relatedness of two programs—simplifying the metatheory of strong sums over the collection of types, for although there can be no “relation classifying relations,” one easily accommodates a “family classifying small families.”

Using the insight that logical relations/parametricity is itself a form of phase distinction between the syntactic and the semantic, we contribute a new synthetic approach to phase separated parametricity based on the slogan logical relations as types, by iterating our modal account of the phase distinction. We axiomatize a dependent type theory of parametricity structures using two pairs of complementary modalities (syntactic, semantic) and (static, dynamic), substantiated using the topos theoretic Artin gluing construction. Then, to construct a simulation between two implementations of an abstract type, one simply programs a third implementation whose type component carries the representation invariant.

DOI · arXiv

Multimodal Dependent Type Theory gratzerNutyzBirkedal2021

We introduce MTT, a dependent type theory which supports multiple modalities. MTT is parametrized by a mode theory which specifies a collection of modes, modalities, and transformations between them. We show that different choices of mode theory allow us to use the same type theory to compute and reason in many modal situations, including guarded recursion, axiomatic cohesion, and parametric quantification. We reproduce examples from prior work in guarded recursion and axiomatic cohesion, thereby demonstrating that MTT constitutes a simple and usable syntax whose instantiations intuitively correspond to previous handcrafted modal type theories. In some cases, instantiating MTT to a particular situation unearths a previously unknown type theory that improves upon prior systems. Finally, we investigate the metatheory of MTT. We prove the consistency of MTT and establish canonicity through an extension of recent type-theoretic gluing techniques. These results hold irrespective of the choice of mode theory, and thus apply to a wide variety of modal situations.
DOI

All (∞,1)-toposes have strict univalent universes shulman-2019-all

We prove the conjecture that any Grothendieck (∞,1)-topos can be presented by a Quillen model category that interprets homotopy type theory with strict univalent universes. Thus, homotopy type theory can be used as a formal language for reasoning internally to (∞,1)-toposes, just as higher-order logic is used for 1-toposes. As part of the proof, we give a new, more explicit, characterization of the fibrations in injective model structures on presheaf categories. In particular, we show that they generalize the coflexible algebras of 2-monad theory.
arXiv

Syntax and Semantics of Quantitative Type Theory atkey-2018-syntax

DOI

Syntax and Semantics of Linear Dependent Types vakarSyntaxSemanticsLinear2015

A type theory is presented that combines (intuitionistic) linear types with type dependency, thus properly generalising both intuitionistic dependent type theory and full linear logic. A syntax and complete categorical semantics are developed, the latter in terms of (strict) indexed symmetric monoidal categories with comprehension. Various optional type formers are treated in a modular way. In particular, we will see that the historically much-debated multiplicative quantifiers and identity types arise naturally from categorical considerations. These new multiplicative connectives are further characterised by several identities relating them to the usual connectives from dependent type theory and linear logic. Finally, one important class of models, given by families with values in some symmetric monoidal category, is investigated in detail.
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A relationally parametric model of dependent type theory atkey-2014-a

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Homotopy Type Theory: Univalent Foundations of Mathematics hottbook

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Hofmann_1997 reference entries/refs/Hofmann_1997/Hofmann_1997.hel