What are some good language development toys or videos for my 17 month old? He is a little behind with talking, and I am on the look out for something to help him pick up on saying basic words.

I would suggest going back to basics.

Toys to help your Speech Delayed/Speech Impaired Child

Bubble Toys - While those cool battery powered bubble machines, or bubble guns are pretty neat. Go back to the basics. I'm talking about the bubbles that you have to actually purse your lips and blow. Some good brands are: Gazillion Bubbles (Funrise) and Little Kids. I've found other brands to be just as good most of the time, and bubbles are available practically anyplace like the grocery store or the dollar store. The great thing about bubbles is that they are a good trick to pull out to keep a kid occupied during difficult wait times. One of the best bubble toys out there, I think, is the Mini No-Spill Bubble Tumbler from Little Kids.

Teether Toys Even if your child is past the baby/teether stage you may consider getting a few teether type toys for sensory stimulation. Choosing toys that massage the gums and mouth are extremely beneficial for children who are orally defensive (like my son). Variations include the ones that are cool and frozen, ones that vibrate, and more. Check out the   the Discovery Toys Super Yummy Teether, and the Bristle Buddy. My son had one that looked like a giant (but fake) Oreo Cookie called the Oreo Cookie Tool-Toy.

Krazy Straws & other fun cups Throw away the sippy cup and stock up on bendy straws, Krazy Straws, and other fun kiddy cups that use straws. Places like Target, Wal-Mart, and the Disney store have character sets so you can get cups and thermoses with your child's favorite character on it that will not only make them happy but it can be extremely motivating too.

Music Toys like horns, recorders, blowers, harmonicas, whistles, and kazoos. You can spend a bit more to get an actual "real" recorder or a harmonica though I never did. I found the best source for these toys was party stores, Oriental Trading Company, or dollar stores. If your child has a favorite character pick up a bag of birthday party blower toys with that theme and give them to them one at a time. When the cardboard gets smushed or soggy with spit, toss them away and pull out a new one.

Megaphones & Echo Microphones You may be covering your ears but my son loved to turn his little voice into a BIG VOICE. Again, this is another dollar store toy!

Microphone Toys Toys with microphones, like karaoke machines, encourage your child to use their voice. We had a Wiggles Microphone toy that my son enjoyed where he could sing along with The Wiggles. Another fun toy he had was a Music Cassette Player that had a microphone attached to it. He liked to record his own voice and play it back. (One time he recorded my husband and I having an argument, which wasn't funny at the time - but I really should have kept the tape for laughs). The one we had also had a voice changer on it too which was really fun.

Sing a Long Music Videos - My son really got into some of the Disney Sing A Long videos as well as anything by The Wiggles, but there are lots of kiddie sing-a-long out there. Singing along to songs can help them with stringing words together, breath control, and expressing themselves through music.

and last, but certainly not least...
Books Read books, books, books, and more books with your child!

I know all parents want the very best for their children especially when it comes to their learning and skills. First of all I had the same problem with my daughter and I just want to say do not let anything discourage you if he doesn't pick up quickly becuase just like adults, we all learn at different paces and in different ways! You can purchase a Leap Frog Phonics Radio for $59.99 at Amazon. This cute little toy that helps encourage cognitive skills, language developement, exploration and creativity and motor skills. This is a very benefical toy for any child and I highly recommend it.

You can also try the  Baby Babble Books and DVD's. Baby Babble is an engaging speech-enhancing video prepared by speech-language pathologists for both you and your precious child. Bonus features include a parent tutorial, sign language tutorial, and speech and language developmental charts. Perfect for you sweet little guy.
I hope this helped and you have a wonderful day.