I really do not want to get into a long discussion on this. We have been there before and I didn’t find it very fruitful. I have given reasons in other threads for why I think vitakka and vicāra refer to a pre-verbal movement of the mind, for instance, here.
To do full justice to this subject would require a lengthy essay that discusses the context of jhāna in the suttas. I have considered writing such an essay, but at the moment I have just got too much on. If I ever get around to it, you will of course be most welcome to comment on what I write.