A speech coding apparatus comprises a repetition period pre-selecting unit for generating a plurality of candidates for the repetition period of a driving excitation source by multiplying the repetition period of an adaptive excitation source by a plurality of constant numbers, respectively, and for pre-selecting a predetermined number of candidates from all the candidates generated. A driving excitation source coding unit provides both excitation source location information and excitation source polarity information that minimize a coding distortion, for each of the predetermined number of candidates, and provides an evaluation value associated with the minimum coding distortion for each of the predetermined number of candidates. A repetition period coding unit compares the evaluation values provided for the predetermined number of candidates with one another, selects one candidate from the predetermined number of candidates according to the comparison result, and furnishes selection information indicating the selection result, excitation source location code, and polarity code.