Using data-driven metrics and models, we operationalize linguistic creativity by disentangling originality at the level of the sign from literariness, defined as “density of specific textual features that create linguistic foregrounding” by Appel et al. (2021: 177) and from success at the level of usage, i.e. perception and evaluation by the actors in the discourse domain. This approach considers how readers’ perceptions of creativity depend on genres and their internal conventions and usage patterns (Steen et al. 2010).