From Semantics to Syntax

A Type Theory for Comprehension Categories

Journal Article (2026)
Author(s)

Niyousha Najmaei (École polytechnique)

Niels Van der Weide (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

Benedikt Ahrens (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)

Paige Randall North (Universiteit Utrecht)

Research Group
Programming Languages
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1145/3776725 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2026
Language
English
Research Group
Programming Languages
Journal title
Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages
Volume number
10
Pages (from-to)
2409-2438
Downloads counter
39
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Abstract

Recent models of intensional type theory have been constructed in algebraic weak factorization systems (AWFSs). AWFSs give rise to comprehension categories that feature non-trivial morphisms between types; these morphisms are not used in the standard interpretation of Martin-Löf type theory in comprehension categories. We develop a type theory that internalizes morphisms between types, reflecting this semantic feature back into syntax. Our type theory comes with Π-, Σ-, and identity types. We discuss how it can be viewed as an extension of Martin-Löf type theory with coercive subtyping, as sketched by Coraglia and Emmenegger. We furthermore define semantic structure that interprets our type theory and prove a soundness result. Finally, we exhibit many examples of the semantic structure, yielding a plethora of interpretations.