Some people can think clearly without having words in their mind, and tend to assume that of course thought is possible without language. Other people can’t think at all without words, and tend to assume that of course language is required for thought.
There’s also a philosophical literature on ‘thought without language’ that I’ve never got to grips with, and the associated pop-philosophy stuff that’s even harder to make sense of.
Also, I strongly suspect there are typical mind fallacy effects at work here.
Some people can think clearly without having words in their mind, and tend to assume that of course thought is possible without language. Other people can’t think at all without words, and tend to assume that of course language is required for thought.
There’s also a philosophical literature on ‘thought without language’ that I’ve never got to grips with, and the associated pop-philosophy stuff that’s even harder to make sense of.
Whether or not you need words is an empirical question. That question was investigated pretty thoroughly in linguistics.
I don’t have to extrapolate from what I think about my own mind but can extrapolate from empirical research.