[hprotagonist]

a counterpoint is that this example begs the question; it assumes a priori that “thinking about gears” is not a language itself.

which, who knows, it might be!

[mcphage]

Unless you already start with the assumption that all mental processing is language, I don't think "rotating gears in your head" qualifies as a language. I mean, you can have discussions about what constitutes "language", but there are a number of expected attributes, and visually rotating shapes in your mind doesn't possess any of them.

[JackFr]

Extra points for a rare completely appropriate use of “begs the question.”