# Formal Consistency Checking over Specifications in Natural Languages

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1405.5003 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1405.5003/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 20 May 2014.

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [DeepSTL -- From English Requirements to Signal Temporal Logic](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.10294/) (2021)
- [LCRL: Certified Policy Synthesis via Logically-Constrained Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.10341/) (2022)
- [Technical Report on Neural Language Models and Few-Shot Learning for Systematic Requirements Processing in MDSE](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.09084/) (2022)
- [Integrating Explanations in Learning LTL Specifications from Demonstrations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.02872/) (2024)
- [MAS-LitEval : Multi-Agent System for Literary Translation Quality Assessment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14199/) (2025)
- [Working Document -- Formalising Software Requirements with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14627/) (2025)
- [LTLGuard: Formalizing LTL Specifications with Compact Language Models and Lightweight Symbolic Reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.05728/) (2026)
- [Towards an Agentic LLM-based Approach to Requirement Formalization from Unstructured Specifications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.18228/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Early stages of system development involve outlining desired features such as functionality, availability, or usability. Specifications are derived from these features that concretize vague ideas presented in natural languages. The challenge for the validation of specifications arises from the syntax and semantic gap between different representations and the need of automatic tools. In this paper, we present a requirement-consistency maintenance framework to produce consistent representations. The first part is the automatic translation from natural languages describing functionalities to formal logic with an abstraction of time. It extends pure syntactic parsing by adding semantic reasoning and the support of partitioning input and output variables. The second part is the use of synthesis techniques to examine if the requirements are consistent in terms of realizability. When the process fails, the formulas that cause the inconsistency are reported to locate the problem.