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Why is it difficult for scholars to trace the historical development of Continental Celtic languages?

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Sláinte: The influence of Irish language on English — Celtic languages Britannica editor Jeff Wallenfeldt provides an overview of the Irish language.

It is difficult for scholars to trace the historical development of Continental Celtic languages primarily due to the nature and scarcity of the available evidence.1

The vast majority of records for these languages consist only of personal, tribal, and place names documented by Greek and Latin writers. While some inscriptions have been discovered in Gaul and northern Italy, their interpretation remains largely doubtful.1

Because of these limitations, knowledge of Continental Celtic is restricted mostly to its sound system and a small portion of its vocabulary. Consequently, researchers cannot reach certain conclusions regarding the historical development of these languages or the specific differences between them. Furthermore, while Common Celtic reconstruction is possible, the records for Continental Celtic are too sparse to provide significant insight into its grammar, morphology, or syntax.12