To think that many Mumsnetters despise regional accents and dialects?

I like hearing regional accents. Naturally there are some I like the sound of more than others. South Wales accents are my favourite. I’m a bit less keen on a South African accent but I wouldn’t tell someone from SA they’re speaking incorrectly. People who talk about correct/incorrect pronunciations just display their ignorance. Language variety is a wonderful and endlessly fascinating subject, not something to be telling people off over.

I think you are wrong. I am sure a very high proportion have regional accents.

'Despise' is a bit much! 'Not very keen on' might fit.

I did not grow up in the UK, speak English as a first language, and live in the SE. I love the variation of accents and pronunciations that I come across. But I am often tripped up by phrases that I'm not familiar with. "Tea" as a meal puzzled me when I first arrived in the UK (I'd only ever known it as a drink). English people saying, "We must have lunch" or "How are you?" when they have no intention of having lunch with you and don't give a damn how you are were also surprising until I came to understand that these are just niceties that are employed with no interest attached. And yes, I still haven't got my head around yog-hurt instead of yo-ghurt. But I understand what people mean :)

I think you notice things aimed at your accent.

I notice a number of people being very disparaging about Southern English accents as well, saying we’re pronouncing things incorrectly.

I think a lot of posters, from wherever, just can’t cope with people doing things differently from them.

it;s not so much derided as being told it's not "proper".

That if we say for example tor-toys rather than tort-uss we are saying it incorrectly. Or that of course scarf/laugh/giraffe rhyme and how could they possibly not. Or that Scottish/Irish accents are just impossible to understand anyway.

I kind of agree but not in relation to Welsh or Scottish which seem to be liked and not derided as much.

YANBU. I am Scottish, have a fairly generic Lothians accent and try not to get drawn into discussions about how giraffe and scarf rhyme.

In my experience, those of us who speak with a Welsh/Irish/Scottish or other regional accent are well aware of the fact that others speak differently and that there is no right or wrong way of pronouncing things. it seems to be the SE-centric people who can't get their heads around it.