nLab higher-order abstract syntax

Contents

Context

Type theory

natural deduction metalanguage, practical foundations

judgement
hypothetical judgement, sequent
- antecedents $\vdash$ consequent, succedents

type theory (dependent, intensional, observational type theory, homotopy type theory)

calculus of constructions

syntax object language

theory, axiom
proposition/type (propositions as types)
definition/proof/program (proofs as programs)
theorem

computational trinitarianism =
propositions as types +programs as proofs +relation type theory/category theory

logic	set theory (internal logic of)	category theory	type theory
proposition	set	object	type
predicate	family of sets	display morphism	dependent type
proof	element	generalized element	term/program
cut rule		composition of classifying morphisms / pullback of display maps	substitution
introduction rule for implication		counit for hom-tensor adjunction	lambda
elimination rule for implication		unit for hom-tensor adjunction	application
cut elimination for implication		one of the zigzag identities for hom-tensor adjunction	beta reduction
identity elimination for implication		the other zigzag identity for hom-tensor adjunction	eta conversion
true	singleton	terminal object/(-2)-truncated object	h-level 0-type/unit type
false	empty set	initial object	empty type
proposition, truth value	subsingleton	subterminal object/(-1)-truncated object	h-proposition, mere proposition
logical conjunction	cartesian product	product	product type
disjunction	disjoint union (support of)	coproduct ((-1)-truncation of)	sum type (bracket type of)
implication	function set (into subsingleton)	internal hom (into subterminal object)	function type (into h-proposition)
negation	function set into empty set	internal hom into initial object	function type into empty type
universal quantification	indexed cartesian product (of family of subsingletons)	dependent product (of family of subterminal objects)	dependent product type (of family of h-propositions)
existential quantification	indexed disjoint union (support of)	dependent sum ((-1)-truncation of)	dependent sum type (bracket type of)
logical equivalence	bijection set	object of isomorphisms	equivalence type
	support set	support object/(-1)-truncation	propositional truncation/bracket type
		n-image of morphism into terminal object/n-truncation	n-truncation modality
equality	diagonal function/diagonal subset/diagonal relation	path space object	identity type/path type
completely presented set	set	discrete object/0-truncated object	h-level 2-type/set/h-set
set	set with equivalence relation	internal 0-groupoid	Bishop set/setoid with its pseudo-equivalence relation an actual equivalence relation
	equivalence class/quotient set	quotient	quotient type
induction		colimit	inductive type, W-type, M-type
higher induction		higher colimit	higher inductive type
-		0-truncated higher colimit	quotient inductive type
coinduction		limit	coinductive type
	preset		type without identity types
	set of truth values	subobject classifier	type of propositions
domain of discourse	universe	object classifier	type universe
modality		closure operator, (idempotent) monad	modal type theory, monad (in computer science)
linear logic		(symmetric, closed) monoidal category	linear type theory/quantum computation
proof net		string diagram	quantum circuit
(absence of) contraction rule		(absence of) diagonal	no-cloning theorem
		synthetic mathematics	domain specific embedded programming language

homotopy levels

semantics

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Idea
Higher-order abstract syntax in logical frameworks
Higher-order abstract syntax in algebraic type theory
Related Concepts
References

Idea

The term higher-order abstract syntax has been used to refer to several distinct, but related, concepts. In chronological order, and from least to most generality:

A logical framework proposed by [Pfenning & Elliot (1988)] based on the simply-typed lambda-calculus with polymorphism.
The logical framework technique of representing abstract syntax for theories with variable-binding operators? using the function types of another theory viewed as a meta-theory, popularised by LF and Pfenning–Elliot’s logical framework described in (1).
Abstract syntax for theories with variable-binding operators, metavariable-binding operators, and so on. The logical framework technique in (2) is a particular representation of such abstract syntax.

Usage (1) does not appear to be in common usage. Usage (2) tends to be the convention in literature on logical frameworks; while usage (3) is the convention in literature on algebraic type theory, though note that authors often restrict to second-order abstract syntax?, which is sufficient for most type theories.

Examples of variable-binding operators are lambda-abstraction and quantifiers (e.g. in higher-order logic, whence the name).

Higher-order abstract syntax in logical frameworks

In logical frameworks, one formalizes languages supporting forms of name binding (such as function parameters or quantifiers) by using the meta-language function space rather than a more syntactic notion of bound variable.

Higher-order abstract syntax in algebraic type theory

Traditional approaches to abstract syntax, e.g. for algebraic theories, typically involve abstract syntax trees. However, it is not possibly directly to capture variable-binding operators? with such structures. Therefore, alternative structures are necessary to capture the syntax of theories with such operators, e.g. type theories.

One possible approach is via the logical framework approach described above.

Related Concepts

abstract syntax tree
HOAS is used extensively in logical frameworks
synthetic Tait computability

References

Frank Pfenning, Conal Elliot, Higher-order abstract syntax, ACM SIGPLAN Notices 23 7 (1988) 199–208 [doi;10.1145/960116.54010, pdf]
Martin Hofmann, Semantical analysis of higher-order abstract syntax, LICS 1999 [ieee:782616, doi:10.1109/LICS.1999.782616]
Marcelo Fiore, Gordon Plotkin, Daniele Turi. Abstract syntax and variable binding, Proceedings. 14th Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (Cat. No. PR00158). IEEE (1999) [doi:10.1109/LICS.1999.782615, pdf, webpage]
Marcelo Fiore, Chung-Kil Hur. Second-order equational logic, International Workshop on Computer Science Logic. Springer, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 6247 (2010) [doi:10.1007/978-3-642-15205-4_26, pdf]