Via Google, it seems this is a multi-generational argument. I learned with phonics and my cousin learned whole language - I had better facility with new words

Via Google, it seems this is a multi-generational argument. I learned with phonics and my cousin learned whole language - I had better facility with new words (think ML/AI, edge conditions) but I was the better reader to start with. Given that one needs both vocabulary and phonetics to be able to read and speak, we might just be arguing over the order how things are taught. Perhaps phonics could be taught with the simple rules how words are constructed/combined after a base vocabulary is in place?