word choice - "Nowadays" vs "today"


I'm taking an English academic writing course. My teacher recommended using today as it is more accepted compared to nowadays. I asked her if this is accepted in American English (she's from US) or in general. She said in general. Then I asked her why it was recommended. Her reasoning was:



When you publish an article your audience will be the whole world and not everyone in this world is a native English speaker, so it is recommended to use simple English.



Is replacing nowadays by today really recommended? I'm looking for a source that can prove or disprove the above statement. I am a non-native English speaker myself, trying to learn English from different sources.



Answer



Nowadays and today are both perfectly acceptable. You could also say these days, in recent times and at present or presently. If your teacher prefers that you don't use nowadays I would follow her instructions just because there are so many alternatives and she is the one grading your paper.


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