at least so far as thought is dependent on words.

[sitifan]

Newspeak was designed to make a heretical thought “literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words.” The Party abolished all but the most mundane, unequivocal, easy-to-say words. Its aim was to render speech “as nearly as possible independent of consciousness” so that communication might become “a gabbling style of speech, at once staccato and monotonous,” allowing speakers to “spray forth the correct opinions as automatically as a machine gun spraying forth bullets.” And “the texture of the words, with their harsh sound and a certain willful ugliness … assisted the process still further.”
https://data.grammarbook.com/blog/definitions/orwell-and-newspeak/
What does the phrase "so far as" mean in the above passage?

 

[jutfrank]

to the extent that

The suggestion is that thought is largely, not completely,dependent on words. So heretical thought is unthinkable to the extent that thought is dependent on words.

 

[Tarheel]

We first have to acknowledge that thought is largely dependent upon words (language). Without words we wouldn't be able to make statements, and we wouldn't be able to ask questions.

as much as thought is dependent upon words -- 100% (or close to it)

(Cross posted)