Whether it's Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig delivering that classic line, moviegoers glean more than just the spy's name.

Accents can affect how intelligent or attractive a speaker is perceived to be, said Sarah Shepherd , the dialect coach for "Spectre," the 24th film in the Bond franchise, which is out this weekend.

In the case of Bond, the smooth edge of his voice says 007 is smart. He's sexy. He's worldly.

"When you know someone has traveled, it says a lot about that person," said Shepherd, who also worked on "The Imitation Game" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron."

"It means they're independent, they have means and a job that's interesting."

For Bond: check, check and check.

Photos: James Bond villains Photos: James Bond villains The movies have brought us some great villains, but few have surpassed the evildoers of the James Bond films -- including Louis Jourdan, whose turn as an Afghan prince in 1983's "Octopussy" remains one of his most famous roles. Click through the gallery for some others who faced off against 007. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains The first Bond bad guy was Joseph Wiseman, who played the title character in 1962's "Dr. No." He defined decades of Bond villains, with his secret lair, his faith in sabotage and his megalomania. Wiseman, who appeared in several TV shows and Broadway plays, died in 2009. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Lotte Lenya played Rosa Klebb, a Russian SPECTRE agent, in 1963's "From Russia with Love." She was assisted by Donald Grant (Robert Shaw), a thug who meets with Bond on a train. Before playing Klebb, Lenya was a famed stage actress -- she was married to composer Kurt Weill for many years -- and earned a shout-out in Bobby Darin's version of "Mack the Knife." Shaw had greater fame post-Bond in such in such films as "The Sting" and "Jaws." Shaw died in 1978; Lenya in 1981. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains German actor Gert Frobe had some of the best lines in 1964's "Goldfinger," in which he played the title character. His nefarious plot: to irradiate the gold in Fort Knox, thus making his own supply more valuable. That wasn't Frobe's voice you hear, though -- because of his thick accent he was dubbed by Michael Collins. Frobe died in 1988. Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Adolfo Celi played Emilio Largo, who steals some nuclear missiles in 1965's "Thunderball." Celi also starred in the war film "Von Ryan's Express." He died in 1986. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Several men have played archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld over the years, but the most iconic version is probably that of Donald Pleasance in 1967's "You Only Live Twice." Pleasance appeared in a number of other well-known films, including "The Great Escape" and "Halloween." He died in 1995. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Telly Savalas, hot off the success of "The Dirty Dozen," played Blofeld in 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Savalas later became more famous for his performance as TV detective Theo Kojak in "Kojak." He died in 1994. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Charles Gray took on the role of Blofeld in 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever." His other films included "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (as the Criminologist), "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" -- and "You Only Live Twice," in which he played a Bond friend. Gray died in 2000. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Yaphet Kotto played Dr. Kananga, the Caribbean crime lord, in 1973's "Live and Let Die," the first of the Roger Moore films. Kotto, a popular character actor, was later in "Midnight Run" and "Homicide: Life on the Street," where he played a Baltimore cop. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Horror movie king Christopher Lee took on the role of "The Man With the Golden Gun," Scaramanga, in the 1974 Bond film. Lee's other roles include "The Wicker Man" and, of course, the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" films, in which he plays Saruman. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Curt Jurgens played Karl Stromberg in 1977's "The Spy Who Loved Me." Stromberg wants to destroy the world -- and start anew underwater. Jurgens also appeared in "The Longest Day" and "Lord Jim." He died in 1982. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains French actor Michael Lonsdale took on the mantle of Bond villain by playing Hugo Drax, yet another in a string of megalomaniacal industrialists, in 1979's "Moonraker." Lonsdale, who's now 83, later appeared in "The Remains of the Day" and "Munich." Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Richard Kiel was never a Bond mastermind, but as Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker," he was dependable (and toothy) comic relief. Kiel died in 2014. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Julian Glover played villain Aristotle Kristatos in 1981's "For Your Eyes Only." The same year he appeared as Walter Donovan in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Glover is still active; he plays Grand Maester Pycelle in "Game of Thrones." Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Following Jourdan in "Octopussy," Christopher Walken took a turn as Bond villain, starring as Max Zorin in 1985's "A View to a Kill." Walken may be the best-known actor among Bond villains; the Oscar winner for "The Deer Hunter" has been in "Pulp Fiction," "Catch Me If You Can," "Hairspray" and many other movies. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Joe Don Baker (center) and Jeroen Krabbe (right) were the main malefactors in 1987's "The Living Daylights," which featured Timothy Dalton as Bond. Andreas Wisniewski (left) aided their plot, which involved opium and assassinations. Baker was also in "Walking Tall" and "Fletch"; Krabbe's roles include Charles Nichols in "The Fugitive." Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Robert Davi played Franz Sanchez in 1989's "Licence to Kill." Davi's other films include "The Goonies" and "Showgirls." Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Sean Bean's Alec Trevelyan wanted to set off an electromagnetic pulse over London in 1995's "GoldenEye." Bond (by now Pierce Brosnan) wouldn't have it. Bean, like Christopher Lee, was in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Jonathan Pryce was Elliot Carver, a media mogul with terror on his mind, in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." The British actor's other films include "Brazil," "Evita" and "Glengarry Glen Ross." He's won two Tonys as well. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Robert Carlyle starred as Renard in 1999's "The World Is Not Enough." His idea? Blow up Istanbul. Will these villains never learn? Carlyle's other films include "Trainspotting," "The Full Monty" and "28 Weeks Later." He also plays Mr. Gold in "Once Upon a Time." Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Toby Stephens played Gustav Graves in 2002's "Die Another Day." The actor has worked frequently in British TV, though his recent "Black Sails" airs on Starz. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Mads Mikkelsen, he of the eyes that shed tears of blood, played Le Chiffre opposite Daniel Craig's Bond in 2006's "Casino Royale." Mikkelsen now plays Hannibal Lecter on the TV show "Hannibal." Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Mathieu Amalric was Dominic Greene in 2008's "Quantum of Solace." Amalric, a French actor, has also appeared in "Munich" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: James Bond villains Oscar winner Javier Bardem is the most recent Bond villain, having played Raoul Silva in 2012's "Skyfall." He won his Academy Award for "No Country for Old Men" and has also appeared in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Eat Pray Love." Hide Caption 24 of 24

Daniel Craig speaks in Received Pronunciation, or RP, known as the "Queen's English." It's just one of many distinct British dialects, but it's the best known around the world and often linked to the south England elite.

"We're one of the few countries in the world that has an acrolect -- an accent of the elite," Shepherd said.

Around the Industrial Revolution, as people became more socially mobile, they strove to emulate the accent heard around London.

Shepherd said when you listen to Craig, he presents as well-spoken and well-educated. He's soft on his consonants.

His voice is familiar to an older audience, but "Daniel Craig is a kind of modern RP speaker, which is why he's received so well," Shepherd said. "He's relatable. People under 50 say, 'I like his sound. It's not too posh, not too distant from us.'"

Lea Seydoux

Most of Shepherd's work on the film, though, was with French actress Lea Seydoux, who plays the latest " Bond girl ." Her accent has to be an effortless match for Bond's, while still sounding foreign.

"We're working on an RP model, but try to keep her sounding French," Shepherd said. "If you have an American accent and a British accent, those will serve you very well as an actor."

But what about the rest of us?

Not what you say, but how you say it

Beyond just where someone is from, Shepherd said, you can tell a lot about a person by their accent.

"What I think is really interesting about accents, mainly, is they kind of assign us immediately to a tribe, but they are this ever-changing social history as we're walking about -- what we've been through as well as what we want to get to," said Shepherd.

"I personally change my accent all the time. Sometimes I do it just to mess with waiters by ordering every course in a different accent."

Photos: James Bond theme song singers Photos: James Bond theme song singers The James Bond movies have a tradition of tapping the "it" guy or gal (or band) for their famous opening title number. The latest is British crooner Sam Smith, who sings "Writing's On The Wall" from the upcoming Bond film "Spectre." Look through the gallery to see who else -- from Shirley Bassey to Adele -- has recorded the franchise's theme songs over the years. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers English singer Matt Monro is best known for his hearty rendition of the theme tune for 1963's "From Russia with Love." (The first James Bond movie, "Dr. No," had an instrumental title song.) Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Shirley Bassey, perhaps the most iconic Bond theme-song singer, sang the title theme to 1964's Goldfinger." Bassey brought her strong, distinctive voice back to the series in title tunes for 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" and 1979's "Moonraker." Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Welsh singer Tom Jones, best known for hits like "What's New Pussycat" and "She's a Lady," sang the title tune for 1965's "Thunderball." Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers These boots were made for walking, but she was made for singing: Nancy Sinatra performed the theme to "You Only Live Twice" in 1967. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Jazz great Louis Armstrong sang "We Have All the Time in the World," the secondary musical theme from the 1969 Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." The song became a hit in the UK 25 years later when it was featured in a Guinness beer commercial. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Paul and then-wife Linda McCartney and their pop group Wings performed the title number from 1973's "Live and Let Die," the first of the Bond movies to star Roger Moore as Agent 007. The song is still a staple of Paul McCartney's live concerts. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Scottish pop singer Lulu sang the title song for 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun." Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Carly Simon scored a major radio hit with "Nobody Does it Better," the theme from the 1977 Bond film, "The Spy Who Loved Me." Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After the band Blondie recorded another version that was rejected, Scottish pop star Sheena Easton was tapped to sing "For Your Eyes Only" for the 1981 Bond movie of the same name. The song reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Rita Coolidge sang "All Time High," the theme from 1983's "Octopussy." Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers American singer Lani Hall, wife of bandleader Herb Alpert, sang the title song to 1983's "Never Say Never Again," which brought Sean Connery back for his final Bond role. The film was made by a different production company from the other James Bond movies, so some fans don't consider it part of the official series. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Singer Simon Le Bon and British pop group Duran Duran did the title song for 1985's "A View to a Kill." Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Norwegian pop band A-Ha recorded the title song for 1987's "The Living Daylights," the first of two films starring Timothy Dalton as Bond. It was the last theme written by longtime Bond composer John Barry. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Soul legend Gladys Knight sang the theme to "License to Kill" in 1989. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers After a six-year hiatus, the Bond series rebooted with 1995's "GoldenEye" and Pierce Brosnan in the lead role. Tina Turner sang the theme song, which was written by U2's Bono and the Edge. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Sheryl Crow performed the title song to 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies." Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Garbage, led by Shirley Manson, did the title track to 1999's "The World is Not Enough." Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop icon Madonna finally did her first and only Bond theme song in 2002 for "Die Another Day." Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers One of the few men to sing a Bond theme, rocker Chris Cornell performed "You Know My Name" from 2006's "Casino Royale." It was the first film to feature Daniel Craig as Bond. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers Pop star Alicia Keys and blues rocker Jack White teamed up to sing "Another Way to Die," the theme from 2008's "Quantum of Solace." White also wrote the song. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: James Bond theme song singers British pop star Adele sang the title theme from "Skyfall" in 2012. Three years later, the world is still awaiting the singer's long-delayed new album. Hide Caption 22 of 22

As part of a recent marketing campaign, British Airways conducted a survey about accents that included interviews with of 1,000 Brits and 1,000 Americans.

Americans interviewed about U.K. accents said the Glaswegian accent -- think Craig Ferguson or James McAvoy -- was the sexiest. The most intelligent accent was Geordie -- think Sting.

Sean Connery as James Bond

Americans said Sean Connery, who played 007 six times, has the best British accent of all time. His manner of speaking drifts away from the elite RP manner of speaking, Shepherd said.

"What Sean Connery has is just the voice he uses in all of his movies," said Shepherd. "It doesn't really change."

Morgan Freeman

The best U.S. accent of all time, according to Brits? Morgan Freeman's soft Tennessee tones.

"Come on! It's Morgan Freeman," said Shepherd. "He's divine. I'd listen to him read my shopping list."

The sexiest accent overall, poll participants said, belonged to Italians. In multiple scientific studies on accents, Irish and French always rank among the sexiest, Shepherd said.

"Irish basically has a really beautiful musicality," said Shepherd. "They start at the top and go all the way down to the bottom. The other thing they do that adds to the beauty of it is they're soft on the consonants, like Ds and Ts. If (the Irish language) were a person, it'd be very sensitive and spiritual."

Still, no accent is forever. They evolve naturally, even within a person's lifetime. Sometimes, people seek out training to change them.

"I get a lot of calls from people who want accent softening, who say, 'I want to sound like the queen,'" Shepherd said.

She tries to convince them otherwise, to go with something warmer.

Photos: 007's legendary rides Photos: 007's legendary rides Cool cars have, of course, always been a big part of the super spy's image. Here's our pick of the best cars featured in the franchise. Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Bentley Mark IV -- "From Russia With Love," 1963 – Ian Fleming was a vintage Bentley owner and made it 007's car of choice in the original Bond books. His c.1936 beauty in From Russia With Love was equipped with a radio telephone. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Aston Martin DB5 -- "Goldfinger," 1964 – This Bond car was fitted with machine guns, an ejector seat and a host of other Q Branch gadgets. It made a triumphant return in Skyfall and sold for $4.6 million in 2010. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Toyota 2000GT -- "You Only Live Twice," 1967 – One of the coolest Bond cars ever, the rare Japanese exotic was specially modified to accommodate the lanky Sean Connery -- the roof was removed. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Aston Martin DBS -- "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," 1969 – Of all Bond's Astons, this is our favorite -- simply stunning. George Lazenby drove it in his single, and vastly underrated, appearance as 007. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Ford Mustang Mach 1 -- "Diamonds Are Forever," 1971 – The only American car in Bond's stable, it actually belongs to Bond girl Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Lotus Esprit -- "The Spy Who Loved Me," 1977 – With the amphibious Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me, Bond production designers created the only car to truly rival the DB5 for icon status. Elon Musk paid $860,000 for one of them in 2013. Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Citroen 2CV -- "For Your Eyes Only," 1981 – Not the sexiest car in Bond's stable by any means, the "tin snail" is also the slowest. However, it made for one of the more memorable chase scenes in the series. Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Lotus Esprit Turbo -- "For Your Eyes Only," 1981 – Eschewing the Citroen, Bond breaks out another awesome Lotus on the ski slopes of Cortina. Unfortunately he finds a dead body inside. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Alfa Romeo GTV6 -- "Octopussy," 1983 – The only Italian car on the list, Bond steals it from a woman in a phone booth for a high speed chase in Germany. A very affordable classic these days for anyone looking for a little 007 action. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante -- "The Living Daylights," 1987 – Bond's return to Aston Martin in 1987 saw Timothy Dalton take the wheel of a gadget-laden V8 Volante. Another underrated favorite of ours.

Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides BMW 750iL -- "Tomorrow Never Dies," 1997 – Bond's brief flirtation with BMW began in the late 90's and didn't last terribly long. Pierce Brosnan uses a cell phone to drive the high-tech 750iL -- off a roof, alas.

Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides BMW Z8 -- "The World Is Not Enough," 1999 – Brosnan-as-Bond is forever linked to BMW, giving him a sort of yuppie-ish air. That and his Italian suits from Brioni.

Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Aston Martin Vanquish -- "Die Another Day," 2002 – Die Another Day saw in the modern Aston Martin era, and the Vanquish did not disappoint, with bulletproof bodywork, heat-seeking missiles and more.

Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Land Rover Defender - "Skyfall," 2012 – Driven by Miss Moneypenny, with Bond riding shotgun, so to speak, the Defender qualifies for the list thanks to its cult-like status. Too bad Land Rover is discontinuing it.

Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: 007's legendary rides Aston Martin DB10 - "Spectre, 2015" – The DB10 represents the future of Aston Martin's road cars, and we're only too glad to have 007 test it out for us. On screen, it more than holds its own against Bond's other rides. Well done, James.

Hide Caption 16 of 16

"I hope my generation will rebel against that a bit," she said. "Unless you're over 60, that sounds weird. Generally speaking, you don't want to sound like the posh guy who doesn't care about the poor. It's not as attractive as it once was.

"But outside the U.K.," she admits, "it becomes really gorgeous."