Rosh ha-Shanah * الإضافة * סמיכות * construct form * ראש השנה * رأس السنة

I keep hearing the English phrase "the Jewish New Year" so much that I forget to translate Rosh ha-Shanah literally: Head of the Year. Rosh ha-Shana is example of the construct form, called smikhut in Hebrew and idaafa in Arabic.

In English, we use "of" to show the hierarchical relationship between the two nouns, "head"and "year." In Hebrew and Arabic, the relationship becomes hierarchical when the first noun is indefinite and the second is definite, i.e. the first noun has no "ha" (the) and the second does.

Are there cultural or theological reasons that the Hebrew expression is not "Shana Khadasha," New Year? Certainly, I've heard the Israeli expression, "Shanah M'tuka," [Have a] Sweet Year, so there is no aversion to alternate greetings.

Perhaps the Jewish view of time as cyclic, rather than linear, means that no year is ever new. Rosh ha-Shanah occurs at the end of the current year, so* marks the starting point for this year's particular instantiation. This point is the time of year when accountings are made, measured, and perhaps expunged. The time often coincides with the US Federal fiscal year. Neither the US fiscal year start date of October 1st nor Rosh ha-Shanah resembles the January 1st celebration of the "New Year."

* The reasoning behind the "so" escapes me.