Naming & symbolic thought

Just capturing some thoughts for later pondering.

Common question is whether thought exists outside of language -- I am certain that it does, as I myself don't think in words, instead I must "name" my thoughts and convert them into the words I use to express them, as I'm doing right now. But is that how everyone thinks? I have no way of knowing.

In visual arts, I clearly recall making the transition from seeing and naming to just seeing, without naming. I can't do that with written words - if I see a word, in English anyway, I have to read it - I can't see the letters without hearing the word. Can some people do that?

It would be an interesting dissertation topic to investigate this further.

Another question - music. Is music symbolic? It doesn't seem to be, I don't find myself naming when I listen. Although as I advance in my study of the guitar, my ability to name does increase -- now I can name intervals, keys, etc.