Phonetic v phonetics

[Ilikekaka]

Hi all

I recently came across an argument on whether phonetic( as in the P in IPA) and phonetics are 2 distinct learning areas of English. My understanding is that if you learning IPA, then you are effectly learning phonetics. But the dude says otherwise. What is your take on this argument?

 

[Ilikekaka]

Phonetics is a wide-ranging branch of linguistics.

Mastery of the IPA is simply one of the tools that is useful in studying phonetics.

The context of the argument is that person A is looking to enrol onto a IPA course, then is he not effectively learning phonetics since IPA is a study area of phonetics? I know this argument may sound very childish, but the dude is saying, literally, that learning IPA does not constitute to learning phonetics.

 

[Tdol]

Is the person who has learned the alphabet fluent in a language?