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This chapter is based on the fieldwork experience of the Russian–Vietnamese Linguistic Expedition (1979–2019) of which the author was a member. The Expedition was dedicated to the study of languages spoken by ethnic minorities in Vietnam. The languages of Vietnam are part of the Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) linguistic area (See Enfield. Annual review of Anthropology 34:181–206, 2005) that includes five language macrofamilies. Almost all representatives of the MSEA linguistic area are isolating languages. Some typological features of isolating languages and consequences of the global monosyllabization of MSEA languages affecting the process of language documentation are considered.

This article investigates the theoretical and practical aspects of speech disorders in early childhood. The article contains both the analysis of young children's speech diagnostics results and main aspects of a preventive kids’ program “I learn how to speak correctly”. The program is aimed at improving gross, fine and articulatory motor skills, psychical processes (memory, attention, thinking, perception), impressive and expressive kids’ speech, developing parents’ pedagogic behavior concerning the speech development problem in early childhood.