Consider the following string of words to see how you can keep making a word longer:

vuilnisophaalwagen a truck to collect garbage with

vuilnisophaalwagenchauffeur driver of a truck to collect garbage with

vuilnisophaalwagenchauffeursopleiding course for drivers of a truck…

The amount of words you can add is virtually unlimited. Note that to get the meaning of the word we have to look at the rightmost word, the head. So the first word ends with wagen (‘car’), and it’s a type of car. The second word ends with chauffeur (‘driver’) and it’s a type of driver etc.

Now consider the following word:

vuilnisophaalwagenchauffeursopleidingsdocentenbegeleidersinstructieboek

(vuilnis-ophaal-wagen-chauffeurs-opleidings-docenten-begeleiders-instructie-boek)

But it doesn’t stop there. The last word ends with boek (‘book’) and books are sold in a book store, so we can make:

vuilnisophaalwagenchauffeursopleidingsdocentenbegeleidersinstructieboekwinkel

And stores need a supplier so we get:

vuilnisophaalwagenchauffeursopleidingsdocentenbegeleidersinstructieboekwinkelleverancier

etcetera etcetera!!

(the last word means the supplier of a shop with instruction books for mentors of teachers of a course for drivers of a truck for collecting garbage…)

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