Native Type Theory

Abstract: Native type systems are those in which type constructors are derived from term constructors, as well as the constructors of predicate logic and intuitionistic type theory. We present a method to construct native type systems for a broad class of languages, lambda-theories with equality, by embedding such a theory into the internal language of its topos of presheaves. Native types provide total specification of the structure of terms; and by internalizing transition systems, native type systems serve to reason about structure and behavior simultaneously. The construction is functorial, thereby providing a shared framework of higher-order reasoning for many languages, including programming languages.