When most people think about language, they think about information transfer—sending facts from one brain to another through words, gestures, or signs. That’s how we’re taught to understand it: as a neutral, almost mechanical process of transmitting knowledge. But when I spent several years in the forests of Borneo teaching sign language to orangutans, I began to see communication differently. Not as the exchange of data, but as a subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—form of control.
And not me controlling them—often, it was the other way around.
The Real Function of Communication? Influence
From a biological and evolutionary perspective, communication didn't arise so animals could share random thoughts with one another. It developed as a tool to influence behavior—to get others to do what you want, when you want it. An infant’s cry isn’t just a statement of distress; it’s a behavioral command: Pick me up now. A dominant male orangutan’s long call doesn’t just inform others of his location—it signals: Stay away, this is my territory.
Language, gestures, facial expressions—these are all forms of social technology. And they’re most effective when they manipulate others’ actions to the communicator’s benefit.
Lessons from the Forest
When I began teaching signs to, ex-captive orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park in the late 1970s, I thought I was leading the interaction. I came armed with lessons, signs, and a training plan. But the orangutans had something else in mind.
One young adult orangutan named Rinnie quickly learned the sign for “food.” Not long after, she began using it consistently with me —not because she was hungry, but because she had figured out that when she signed “food,” I would give her an edible treat. If I didn’t respond quickly enough, she’d combine “food” with “you” or tap me impatiently, looking straight into my eyes.
It was effective. She was not “communicating” in the abstract sense—she was controlling my behavior. She had found a lever, and she knew exactly how to pull it.
Nonverbal Persuasion: Silent but Commanding
Even without signs, orangutans have an uncanny ability to manipulate human behavior. They’d use eye contact, shifts in posture, extended arms, or strategic silence to convey their needs and expectations. One female named Siswoyo would subtly position herself along my walking path, glance at a door behind which was a room full of bananas, and wait—saying nothing, but clearly expecting me to follow her gaze and help her access the fruit.
Another orangutan once feigned disinterest in an object I was holding—until I looked away. In a flash, she reached out and snatched it with such precision that I couldn’t help but laugh. Who was observing whom?
Control Is Not Domination—It’s Strategy
Control isn’t inherently negative. In fact, it’s what makes social living possible. But we should be honest about its role in communication. Just like humans, orangutans use their social intelligence to get what they want, avoid conflict, and secure resources. It’s the same behavior we see in boardrooms, classrooms, and dinner tables around the world.
In the human world, this plays out on larger scales: when wealthy individuals or powerful institutions use persuasive language to shape public opinion or influence policy, that’s control—not mere information exchange. When media narratives steer emotions and votes, that’s behavioral influence. When a child tugs at your sleeve and says “please,” that’s language doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Reframing Communication Through Orangutan Eyes
My years with orangutans didn’t just teach me about their intelligence—they forced me to re-examine human communication. Who holds the power in a conversation? What assumptions do we make about the honesty or intent behind words or signs? And how much of what we call “language” is really about getting others to behave in ways that benefit us?
The orangutans never gave a lecture. They didn’t need to. Through subtle signs and gestures, they reminded me that communication is always more than meets the eye—and that, more often than not, the real power lies with the one who gets the other to act.
You can learn more about orangutan sign learning and their intelligence in my recently published book, “Out of the Cage” available on Amazon.
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