Abstract—We present a point of view concerning HOAS (Higher-Order Abstract Syntax) and an extensive exercise in HOAS along this point of view. The point of view is that HOAS can be soundly and fruitfully regarded as a definitional extension on top of FOAS (First-Order Abstract Syntax). As such, HOAS is not only an encoding technique, but also a higher-order view of a first-order reality. A rich collection of concepts and proof principles is developed inside the standard mathematical universe to give technical life to this point of view. The exercise consists of a new proof of Strong Normalization for System F. HOAS makes our proof considerably more direct than previous proofs. The concepts and results presented here have been formalized in the theorem prover Isabelle/HOL.

Consider a process calculus that allows agents to communicate values. The structural operational semantics involves substitution of values for variables. Existing rule formats, such as the GSOS format, do not allow this kind of explicit substitution in the semantic rules. We investigate how to derive rule formats for languages with substitution, by using categorical logic to interpret the framework of the GSOS format in different categories. The categories in question are categories of ‘substitution actions’. 1 A simple language for value-passing To set the scene, fix a set of channel names, and consider a set V of value-expressions, that includes the channel names. A simple untyped value-passing process language, V-CCS, is given in Figure 1 (c.f. [8]). The precise value expressions of V are not important, but note that since V includes the (static) channel names, V-CCS is a very primitive applied π-calculus without restriction or name generation; c.f. [1]. For the sake of illustration, consider the set Vex of value expressions determined by the following grammar: v:: = n | v + v | (v, v) | π1(v) | π2(v) | c (n is a number, c is a channel name). We will always work with value expressions up-to the evident equations (2 + 3 = 5; π1(v, w) = v; etc.), rather than explicitly evaluating or normalizing them; this is to simplify the presentation. The following transitions are derivable in Vex-CCS. (¯c〈3〉.0) | (c(v).¯c〈2 + v〉.0) τ

Generic first-order logic (GFOL) is a first-order logic parameterized with terms de ned axiomatically (rather than constructively), by requiring them to only provide generic notions of free variable and substitution satisfying reasonable properties. GFOL has a complete Gentzen system generalizing that of FOL. An important fragment of GFOL, called HORN 2, possesses a much simpler Gentzen system, similar to traditional context-based derivation systems of λ-calculi. HORN 2 appears to be sufficient for defining virtually any λ-calculi (including polymorphic and type-recursive ones) as theories inside the logic. GFOL endows its theories with a default loose semantics, complete for the specified calculi.

In the calculus of possibly non-wellfounded -terms, standardization is proved for a parallel notion of reduction. For this system confluence has recently been established by means of a bounding argument for the number of reductions provoked by the joining function which witnesses the confluence statement. Similarly,

Inspired from the recent developments in theories of non-wellfounded syntax (coinductively defined languages) and of syntax with binding operators, the structure of algebras of wellfounded and non-wellfounded terms is studied for a very general notion of signature permitting both simple variable binding operators as well as operators of explicit substitution. This is done in an extensional mathematical setting of initial algebras and final coalgebras of endofunctors on a functor category. In the non-wellfounded case, the fundamental operation of substitution is more beneficially defined in terms of primitive corecursion than coiteration.