I would contest your use of lexicon in your description. In my view, the Sun is approaching from a distance, reaching zenith to the viewer, and then receding into the distance. What the lenses of our eyes perceive as we view its course through the sky is also affected by atmospheric refraction (AR). AR is the amount of moisture in the air, or lack thereof, which also acts as a lens and further distorts the actual object (image) given to our brains through these two "lenses".
You did not ask any question, but rather instead pointed out something and then made a conclusion, so I am not sure if there is a question there.
The effect you described (using my lexicon) perfectly explains what people see... for those who believe they are on a ball and the ball is rotating... and for FE believers, that they are standing on a stationary plane and the object (the Sun) is circling overhead in ever tightening and widening concentric circles. The effect, at face value, is the same regardless, but how one interprets it is debatable.
Respect